Postcards from Penguin

 Postcards from Penguin is pretty much what is says on the tin - 100 beautifully thick and heavy-duty postcards of iconic Penguin books covers. I can never resist the look of the orange-and-white paperbacks, which, although originally released to be cheap and cheerful books, I almost prefer to modern versions. If ever I see a penguin classics version by one of my favourite authors, I usually have to buy it for my collection!

Postcards from Penguin is pretty much what is says on the tin - 100 beautifully thick and heavy-duty postcards of iconic Penguin books covers. I can never resist the look of the orange-and-white paperbacks, which, although originally released to be cheap and cheerful books, I almost prefer to modern versions. If ever I see a penguin classics version by one of my favourite authors, I usually have to buy it for my collection!

The only issue with the classic covers is that they are, well, so orange. I always wanted to frame some as a form of affordable art, and I couldn't quite face the prospect of orange on my pale cobalt-blue walls. Luckily the array of 100 book covers is very colourful! So, I created a collage of all the blue-based (non-fiction) Penguin covers....

What do you think?

E xxx

P.S. You can get 100 lovely postcards from the children's "Puffin" books, and "Ladybird, too. The Penguin Modern Classics collection is probably the classiest for the more grown-up among you...

Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence

When I was little I used to love the 'Jolly Postman', a children's book by Janet and Allan Ahlberg about a postman (a jolly one) delivering letters to various fairytale characters. The story was sweet and illustrations lovely, but what I loved most was the fact there were actual letters inside little envelopes that one had to take out, unfold and read to continue with the story.

It is that interactive side to reading that first drew me to Nick Bantock's beautiful Griffin and Sabine trilogy - a sort of exquisite Jolly Postman for grown ups - a book entirely in correspondence. In truth, I first read them when I was too young - I stumbled across them in my parents' bookshelves and was drawn to the front cover. Consequently, I didn't wholly understand everything the books hinted at (but going back on them and reading them again has been inspiring) - but I adored the gorgeous illustrations (all Bantock's handiwork), the art form of the exchange of postcards, both sides shown to the reader, and the crisp letters folded inside envelopes.

It is, essentially, an enigmatic and artistic love story spanning three books, sparked when a postcard arrives from Sabine, to Griffin. She is a stamp illustrator who has lived all her life on a tiny Pacific island, and he is a lonely, disillusioned artist based in London. Mysteriously, she can see every stroke he paints, and every line he draws, and so on finding out his identity, writes to him to try and understand the phenomenon.

(Photos from amazon.co.uk)

And so the extraordinary correspondence is born!

It is both a puzzle and a joy to read. I have only just discovered that he wrote a second trilogy following on from the first - the next three are definitely on my Christmas list!

Would you read a book like this? Or would you feel childish?

E xxx

P.S.  J J Abrams has recently been involved with a book called 's.' which sounds like a similarly interactive reading experience. It's essentially an old, cryptic novel by a fictional author filled with handwritten notes in the margin, and with newspaper clippings, scrawls on napkins, and scraps of paper tucked into the pages. I am dying to read it- it sounds so interesting (though perhaps pretentious? But maybe that's JJ for you!). Here's the link.

Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness

Autumn is by far my favourite season. As time rolls towards October, the evenings close in, and the air becomes chillier. There's nothing I like more than wrapping up in woolly layers to go outside, and to feel the pink sting of cold air on my face. Autumn is the time of hot chocolate, cinnamon, soups, firelight, falling leaves. The trees are still in their summer greenery at the moment, but I am looking forward to the riot of colours to come (nothing like the spectacular New England fall colours, unfortunately, but still golden and stately).

Anyway, there is something deliciously cosy about staying in on autumn evenings (with a cup of mulled wine, perhaps?) and an enthralling book. Here are a few on my wishlist:

(Photo from PanMacmillan)

I love tales of the war, and this biography about a young woman who signed up for the Wrens (because she liked their hats, naturally) and was drafted into the secret services seems just my cup of tea. I can't even imagine her bravery - especially when she had to tell her family she was just working for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. A fiction 'version' of this that I have read recently is Jackdaws, by Ken Follett (author of the amazing Pillars of the Earth and World Without End), which is about the heroic female spies parachuted into wartime France, whose bravery was barely acknowledged because the medals they deserved were not, at the time, awarded to women.

Also on my wishlist is Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. I've read so many good reviews for this, and the premise is so intriguing - the chance to live a life again, an infinite number of times, changing the path taken. I can't wait to read it.

Finally, although I've already read this, I had to recommend it to you. A love of Jane Austen (or at least, familiarity with Pride and Prejudice) is a must - it is such a joyful read. Simply put, it's Pride and Prejudice below stairs, but in reality it's much more rewarding than that. There are enough glimpses of the real P&P novel to make the Austen-lover smile, but it's actually an entirely different story of the incredibly difficult lives of the servants of Longbourn, the Bennets' residence, who, to be brutally honest, do not care a fig for the balls, Bingleys or romances occurring, and instead are exasperatedly calculating how long it will take to remove those six inches of mud from Miss Elizabeth Bennet's skirts. Of all the books I've read this year (and I've read a few), this is my recommendation! Let me know what you think!

E xxx

P.S. You know what I'm like about book covers, so I couldn't resist: the American version is infinitely superior to the British! Click here to have a look. It's so much more simple, elegant, and regency than the horrendous British purple cover, which seems more brash and Victorian to me...

The Places of Pride and Prejudice

Another academic year approaches, and I am in need of a book bag - I like the cottony ones that can be folded up when not in use (or, in my case, scrunched up and shoved to the bottom of my handbag). This lovely tote by Brookish on Etsy is definitely at the top of my wishlist - it's simple yet literary (and references one of my favourite books), and is big enough to carry the gigantic law tomes I've been given...

I also discovered Alphabet Bags the other day and am obsessed with pretty much everything they sell. I love the 'Bee's Knees' and 'Cat's Pyjamas' bags, as well as the whimsical 'Let's get lost' and, of course, the 'E' bags! Take a look, they have so much lovely stuff!

Do you have a favourite?

E xxx

The Lifeboat

(photo from charlotterogan.com) 

I've just finished reading The Lifeboat, by Charlotte Rogan, and here I am, recommending it to you. Set in 1914, it follows the experiences of Grace Winter, a survivor of a sunken cruise ship, crammed onto a lifeboat that is dangerously over-capacity with dozens of other men and women. It's fascinating to see the power struggles, the rumours, storytelling and feuds that start and spread through the cramped boat as it floats for three weeks in the middle of the Atlantic. As it becomes clear that the only way for the boat to survive in the merciless ocean is by lightening its load, it leads you to question your own morals - who would you choose to go overboard? Would you sacrifice yourself for 30 others? Would you kill somebody?

My sister, who, in turn, recommended it to me described it as 'a combination of The Life of Pi and Alias Grace', an apt description indeed. The cramped boat is a wonderful stage for the action, and the narrator is deliciously unreliable!

E xxx

The Book Thief

Have you read The Book Thief? I first it read years ago when it was first published in England (I remember I loved it so much I emailed the author, Markus Zusak, who replied! I was excited.). Ever since then I've recommended it to anyone who asks (and indeed, to some who don't), but I realised that I could barely remember what happened in it, apart from the basics. I only remember the feeling after I'd read it. So, I reread it today, and was struck again - perhaps even more sov- by how beautifully written and staggeringly good it is. I also wept my face off.

So, here I am, recommending it to you. It was first published in Zusak's native Australia as an adult book, and it was subsequently published in America as a children's book. Some of the themes are pretty gruelling (it is, after all, concerning Nazi Germany), but written in such a human way that they are not frightening. Still, maybe under-12s shouldn't read it...

I implore you to give it a try.

Here's the cover (picture from amazon):

Enjoy.

E xxx

Sorted Books

Nina Katchadourian has had an ongoing project since 1993 of arranging books so their spines form little stories, sentences, even a kind of poetry.

Some of them are wry, some beautiful, many are amusing.

Here are some good ones:

Have a look at the rest of them here. I want to look at my own bookshelves and make a few!

E xxx

Dear Diary...

Do you keep a diary/journal? I don't - well, not exactly - I used to write diaries when I was younger and always want to die with embarrassment whenever I reread them now - I can't bear it!

What I have now is a bit more casual - it's called One Line A Day - and it bills itself as "A Five-Year Memory Book". I know five-year diaries are fairly well-established, but this one is different in that it really is pretty small (see its size in comparison to my iPod)- there's only room for about 25 words for each day. That makes it easy to keep up to date, and also minimises any possibility of cringe-worthy confessions...

My entries aren't ground breaking - I always try and write what I wouldn't mind anyone reading.. So it's not exactly "something sensational to read on the train" (in the immortal words of Oscar Wilde) - but it's fun to look back at the previous year and see what was happening a year ago...

I can't wait to be 4 years in, and able to look back and see how far (or not!) I've come!

E xxx

P.S. They make great presents! Amazon sells them but I got mine at the V&A shop

P.P.S. There are quite a few novelty diaries out there, actually, if you want to write a journal but find it too time-consuming- I like mine best (of course!) but here are some others:

The Q&A 5 Year Journal - It asks a question (can people change? what was the last restaurant you went to? are you a leader or a follower? what's the oldest thing you're wearing today?) at the top of each page and you can see how your answers differ from year to year.

The Q&A a Day for Kids - This looks seriously cute. Same publishers as above, but a 3 year journal, with questions to spark conversation with children. How sweet would it be to do this every night before bed and see the answers change over the years? Questions such as "when were you last brave?" and "what is your favourite toy?" Also, judging by the amazon reviews, children LOVE it..

Jane-A-Day: 5 Year Journal: Another five year journal, topped with a Jane Austen witticism for inspiration.

Listography: Your Life in Lists - List-writers rejoice! Filled with headings such as "list your favourite restaurant" and "list bad things you did as a kid", this is a gradual process you can add to as and when you think of things. Gradually, a sort of autobiography will emerge from the pages...

One Sketch a Day for the artists among you

9 3/4

I have a confession to make. I. LOVE. Harry Potter. I won't hear a word against it.

Isn't this print by EntropyTradingCo the best combination of subtlety and joy? It's perfect - people who don't care will just see a vaguely stylish, but unobtrusive sign, but those in the know will be filled with glee.

Which colours or colour combinations do you like best?

(Photos from Etsy)

E xxx

The Great Gatsby

So, who's excited about the Great Gatsby movie? It's not out until May (although it was supposed to be released this Christmas, then got postponed -boo!) but I thought I'd brush up on my Fitzgerald and read it again. The first time I read this at university I struggled a bit - and I have no idea why! This second time I read it in one sitting, lying on my sofa with a pot of tea by my side - and absolutely adored it - it really is such an evocative and wonderful book.  I can't wait for the film.

This is my copy, which I think it so beautiful:

(photo from Inspiredology.com)

But these are lovely, too:

(Photos from Penguin.com)

In case you hadn't realised, I love a good book cover, and it really alters my reading experience. I don't think it would feel the same reading it from the classic American cover, which I think is rather ugly:

What's your favourite? There are dozens more out there!

E xxx

The Sisters Brothers

Altogether not the book I was expecting. I knew it was about the Gold Rush and the Wild West - and Eli and Charlie Sisters (brothers), and that is true. It was also absolutely divinely written, funny and sorrowful, and ultimately a wonderful tale of a journey. It's also fairly short, so will be perfect to read inon a Sunday, looking at the grey skies of England and dreaming of the Dust Bowl...

It's always best to support local bookshops, but Amazon are selling it so cheap it's so difficult for me to say no...

Which cover do you like best, the one from the UK (the first) or US (the second)? Both striking, but the American one a trifle unsettling - or is it just me?

E xxx