Quarterly Check-in: Booklist

One of my goals for 2010 was to read 100 books, so at this point I should be a quarter of a way there? My list comes from slowly reading through the list of "1001 books you should read before you die", recommendations from friends, blogs, and magazines, classics I've been interested in, and pretty covers (apparently a fair amount of Chick Lit and Joseph Conrad this year). Here's what I got so far!
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben Winters (and Jane Austen)
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
The Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile by Gyles Brandreth
LA Candy by Lauren Conrad
Swimsuit by James Patterson
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
Nostromo by Joseph Conrad
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad
The Shadow Line by Joseph Conrad
The London Fields by Martin Amis
House by Frank Peretti
The First Annual Grand Prairie Rabbit Festival by Ken Wheaton
Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Cause for Alarm by Eric Ambler
Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
The Information by Martin Amis
The Enormous Room by E.E. Cummings
The Overnight Socialite by Bridie Clark
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26 strong!

Happy Friday

As dusk gathers, and day draws its curtain
Sleep drapes its spell over all the lands
Sapphire seas still ripple the wind
Welcoming twilight with open hands.

It is in the depth of night
That the heart is released from its cage,
Into the elusiveness, reveal its fight
Reality, here, is not the stage.

Bejeweled stars line the walkway
Up which my dreams will waltz.
To my own tune do I get to sway;
In the darkness there are no faults.

With each new spin I see a wish come true,
In this starry scene I am a belle
Moonlight is my gown of lustrous hue
My feet will carry me where few can tell.

My castle draws near when dawn calls me back
And the flush of sunrise splatters.
My journey must be delayed
Until the next time dusk gathers.

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After seeing this photography by Lissy Elle, I was inspired to share a poem!

Add to the wishlist..

Mmmm, a globe in my house someday. Globes and world maps inspire me. They serve as both a great reminder of the vastness and variety of our world and as a bit of romantic symbol of all there is to explore. I like the vintagey ones that have a bit of old world feel to them.

A roommate in college got me to take cultural anthropology. It was great learning more about seeing things from others' perspectives. By far my favorite book from that class was The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman (found here). It involves the clash of two cultural views, mostly regarding the health care field. I might have been slightly more interested in it with my volunteering at a hospital, but I think it would be an interesting non-fiction read for anyone!

Also, in my future house, I would love there to be this little mirrored filing cabinet. I'm not totally certain why, but mirrored things apparently catch my eye, and what better place for relatively boring details to be than somewhere fun!

No qualms here about blending the old with the flashy.


Sidenote: Oh and I had been craving Lucky Charms for while - but I'm satisfied now :) I'm not sure I've ever eaten so much cereal in 12 hours in my life.
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Aspiration

Someday I want to be able to cook. Not just follow a recipe, but the organic experience of the verb, where you add a bit of this or that because it feels right. Kitchens have always been one of my favorite rooms. I love the feel of them - more everyday life. My roommate and I picked our apartment specifically because of the kitchen with its breakfast nook. While our current kitchen has apparently not inspired the cooking habit yet, I'm sure the environment helps.

I love the copper pots and back-splash in this one.

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These floors. The lighting fixtures.


i love lantern.

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Sidenote: Pretty sure my style lies inclusively between these two:
(French Eclectic and Hollywood Glamour)

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hello

So I decided to start with posting about my little boy, Sully. He's a mini labradoodle and has been bringing joy into my life since last October. He's sweet and completely ridiculous at times. He likes to stick his nose between the cracks of sofas, chase leaves, and prefers to be held on one's left side, with his right "arm" propped on the shoulder.

Not totally sure of the direction for this blog, other than to share everyday love and as a place of storage for the things that catch my eye.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor even touched, but just felt in the heart. "
-Helen Keller