Anne Faye

Browsing my local library recently, I came across two books that would make great gifts for the book lover in your life.  Improbable Libraries: A Visual Journey to the World’s Most Unusual Libraries by Alex Johnson explores libraries that don’t fit one’s usual mental picture of “library”. Johnson, the son of two librarians, was clearly raised with a love of books. In Improbable Libraries, he showcases libraries found in airports, tents, subway stations, taxes, and hotels. He highlights libraries in rural locations that travel via mules, donkeys, camels, and elephants. There is also a section on the Little Free Library movement as well as on home libraries. Improbable Libraries is a delight to explore and will challenge your thinking on what a library can be. Remarkable Books: The World’s Most Beautiful and Historic Works is a feast for the eyes. Using a chronological format, it traces the history of influential books from 3000 BCE to today. This oversized book...

"Novel Living: Collecting, Decorating and Crafting with Books" is a treasure for anyone who loves books, both to read and as an artistic object. Lisa Occhipinti discusses collecting books, creating a library, preserving and conserving, and crafting with books. The accompanying illustrations add to the beauty of the text and will have any bibliophile smiling with delight. I like that she advocates both keeping books and giving them away. "A book on your shelf is tangible, finite, and yours alone, and keeping it is the surest way to preserve its power." She acknowledges, however, that a personal library is a "living thing, always evolving, growing, and shedding, only to expand again. Thinning out is a necessary part of collecting books and maintaining a library. I loved her various ideas on how to shelve and display books and while I don't have the energy to take on the book art projects she describes, I'm now eager to find some book art to liven up...

I've been buried in antique books lately, attempting to sell them for a friend. It's not a bad place to be, really. I love the smell and feel of old books and it's a delight simply to have them around and wonder about their history. I figured as long as was surrounded by such works, I might as well do some research on the subject. I have a few more books that I am waiting for at the library, but the first one that came in was Rare Finds: A Guide to Book Collecting by David and Natalie Bauman, owners of Bauman Rare Books . This is a beautiful book in itself, offering delightful photographs of treasured literary masterpieces. It offers an overview of the most highly collectible works, including some interesting facts about them. It is obvious on every page that the Baumans are truly in love with books. However, most of the ones they feature would be out of reach of everyone except the most well-heeled collector. For the rest of us, this book has value for the pleasure per...

Last night, I was sitting in my usual spot, working, at the local acting school, waiting for son #1 as he had play practice. Son #2, age eleven, had just finished with his practice and was reading a book. An acquaintance of mine, another drama school mom, happened to be hosting a book club that evening and had received permission to take advantage of the theater. She told me that they were hosting an author and kindly invited both my son and I to attend. I jumped at the opportunity, and surprisingly enough, so did my son. We headed upstairs and were treated to a wonderful presentation by Brendan I. Koerner, author of The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking , a New York Times Book Review Notable Book and  Boston Globe Top Nonfiction Book of 2013. Apparently, there was a time in the late 60s and early 70s in which hijacking was almost an everyday occurrence. Koerner has spent much of the last four years of his life researching this phenomenon, es...

One of my simple pleasures in life is reading Victoria Magazine . I've loved it since I was a teenager and my best friend is kind enough to renew my subscription for me each year as a birthday present. Each year they feature a different writer-in-residence and artist-in-residence. This year's writer-in-residence is Rebecca Rego Barry who has B.A. in English and Magazine Journalism and an M.A. in Book History. (I truly never even knew that was an actual area of study - definitely being added to the list of things I would do if I had unlimited time and money.) In her inaugural article for the magazine she writes about her personal library of over 1000 books. She shares not only about the books, but also about the memory attached to the books. As she writes, "Each selection has a story to tell, and not just the one printed inside. I treasure them all." I can definitely relate to that. Certain books conjure up definite memories of where I was when I was reading them, ...

I saw this tote bag at a bookstore recently and burst out laughing. Turns out there is a whole CafePress shop dedicated to the merchandise! http://www.cafepress.com/+i-like-big-books-and-i-cannot-lie+gifts

Looking for a different sort of wedding dress? How about one made of book pages? That's what designer Jennifer Pritchard Couchman did with this dress. Read more about it at The Dress Made of Books.

My copies of The Rose Ring were due to come in next week, but it was a nice surprise to get this box in the mail today. I had only seen a digital proof, so I had no real idea what the finished product would look like. They really are beautiful.

To be honest, I haven't read a whole lot of issues of Newsweek in my life. Only in the past few months have I had a subscription, and that is because it was free. But, I am still sad that it will no longer be issued in print form, if only because it is indicative of a larger trend of moving all information on-line. I am not a technophobe. I blog. I work as an editor for an on-line publication and am immensely thankful for that opportunity. I can't imagine life anymore without the internet (although some days I long for its simplicity. Unfortunately, we didn't realize it was simple at the time. It's hard to imagine that we may also look back at these days as "simpler" times.) Still, I like to read things in print. I like to curl up with a magazine or good book. I like the tactile sensation of turning pages. I like the smell of paper.  It hurts my eyes to read anything too long on-line. I look forward to reading my newspaper every morning spread out across ...

I was reading the December 2012 issue of Town and Country today and came across an article about My Ideal Bookshelf , a new book by illustrator Jane Mount. She interviewed 100 people to find out what was on their bookshelves and created images based on those selections. Thessaly La Force wrote the accompanying essays. "The point was to find people whose books gave you a sign of how they become who they are." What's on my bookshelf? For a booklover, I actually own relatively few books. I give away books I've read so that they can enrich other people's lives and I mostly get books from the library. Still, I have a couple shelves of books that I've held onto over the years. The shelf I picked for this exercise includes my art history textbooks from college as well as "The History of Painting," and "Janson's History of Art" that I picked up at the library book sale for $1 this summer. I also have the quilting pattern book I got when I ...

I saw an article about the Concord Free Press the other day and was intrigued. How can a press give away books for free? Yet, this is what they do. All that they ask is that you make a donation (of any amount) to someone else, post it on their website, and then pass the book along to someone else. So, I checked out their website. They refer to their project as "An Ongoing Experiment in Generosity." The writers don't get paid, the graphic designer doesn't get paid and they get reduced printing costs. They do accept donations to help offset the costs involved and sell some related items in order to raise funds. Honestly, I have mixed feelings on this. The writers don't get paid. Now, I am the first to acknowledge that (most) writers don't make much. I wrote for free for years before starting to get even a small amount of payment for my work. Those of us who write do so out of love (and perhaps necessity - the words have to come out) first and the hope of re...

Some picture books are as much of a delight for adults as they are for children. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is that type of book. The Academy Award Winning Short Film by the same name was based on this book by William Joyce. Honestly, I loved the video, but I love this book even more! The story is one all book and library lovers will enjoy. "Morris Lessmore loved words. He loved stories. He loved books. His life was a book of his own writing, one orderly page after another. He would open it every morning and write of his joys and sorrows, of all that he knew and everything that he hoped for." After his home is destroyed in a storm, Mr. Lessmore begins to wander and encounters a lovely flying lady being pulled by a squadron of books. She sends him a book which leads him to a very unusual library where he soon takes up residence and spends his life caring for the books and continuing to write his own story. The beautiful illustrations in this book ...

Our local newspaper, The Republican is compiling a book about Irish history in Western Massachusetts and is asking for help with the project. They are searching for the following information: We are thrilled to give our readers the opportunity to participate in this unique project. If you have photographs that meet our submission guidelines criteria, please download submission forms and bring them to one of our public-scanning sessions. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Irish historic photos, such as: living, industry, commerce, society, public service, etc. Photos taken from 1800 to today. Photos only – preferably original photos (no newspaper clippings or photocopies). Photos taken in the Alliance area 10 photos per family. For more information, please visit: The Irish Legacy

A while back, I took advantage of an introductory offer and purchased a $5.95 version of Huckleberry Finn from Easton Press . The press is dedicated to creating high-quality leather bound books. Truly, they are the anti-ebook company. These are books for people who love the feel and look of fine books lining a shelf. They offer a surprisingly wide variety of books, from the classics, art books, and histories that one might expect, to those one might not expect such as the Star Wars Character Encyclopedia or a signed copy of The Help . Truly, there is something for everyone. Sadly, the prices are quite steep. I think that compiling any sort of collection of these is out of reach of most people, myself included. But, choosing one might make a great gift for the book lover in your life for a special occasion. In any event, their catalog is beautiful to look at, and it is comforting to know that such appealing books are still being made. 

I was at my favorite local quilt shop , picking up some fabric for my next quilting project when I came across this novelty fabric. I have no use for it at the moment, but my younger son had picked up the bolt and carried it around the store. I didn't notice until we were at the register and he said, "Come on, Mom, you know you want it!" So, I am now the proud owner of one yard of Timeless Treasures Fabrics - Library CM8214. Maybe I'll make a pillow out of it or save it for some later quilting project. In any event, I do like the pattern!

I've always been fascinated by these local history books published about almost every city in the country. They offer interesting photos and text and shed light on some little known aspects of local history. The Barnes and Noble in Holyoke is offering an author event April 14th at 1 pm with Craig P. Della Penna, the author of the Holyoke book. For more info on the event, please visit http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/3226415

This comes under the heading of "Really Cool Jobs." The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article on "second careers." One of those profiled is the owner of Milagro Bookbinding. Dr. Jerome Goss was a cardiologist in his previous life. After he retired at age 69, he decided to devote himself to "saving old books." He attended a training program in Scotland for a year. Today, he runs Milagro Bookbinding, a one-man venture specializing in restoring leather books from the 1600s and 1700s. Using only hand tools, he works on books from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day in a specially designed bindery studio on his property in Corrales, N.M. . . . Dr. Goss says he has built up a steady clientele of book collectors and dealers who value his attention to detail and willingness to scout out rare materials. Recently he took a trip to Florence, Italy, just to buy marbled paper. Read the full article here: Every Patient Has a Story

This is a lovely short animated film for anyone who loves books or libraries! It won the Oscar for the Best Short Animated Film.

I recently enjoyed reading Miles to Go: The Second Journal of the Walk Series by Richard Paul Evans. It continues the story of Alan Christoffersen who is walking across the country after having lost everything. It is a quick read and a great story. I'm already looking forward to the next installment! What I liked best, though, is Richard Paul Evans' statement at the back of the book: "I write with the hope of improving the world." He included a character named Kailamai in the story based on a real life woman by the same name. He is hoping to help her and others like her who are aging out of the foster care system. "Research from the Pew Charitable Trusts shows that 6 out of 10 youth aging out of the foster care system will be homeless, incarcerated, or dead within the first two years. Most youth aging out of the foster care system lack the essential skills, resources, and support to live a safe and independent life." Go-Mentor is an organization working...

People have been using books as decoration as long as there have been books. They automatically add a certain element to a room whether intended or not. This article by Penelope Green shows individuals taking it to a whole other level. Searching and buying books to decorate the shelves? Now that could definitely be a dream career for a book lover. Selling a Book by its Cover