Summer Reading and Shame

Some people have problems admitting what they read. I've always been one of those people. I've always felt like my chosen reading material needed to meet some sort of standard. I think a lot of people feel like this; sure, we may proudly display the latest Toni Morrison, but we've all got a James Patterson or Janet Evanovich hidden away somewhere. Library school helped me to become less ashamed of my leisure reading pursuits. I still love a well crafted, nuanced novel that's got all the critics raving and the bookclubs clamoring for more copies, but I've also been able to get over some of this shame and start openly reading things that I just plain enjoy.

Summer is often the season of guilty pleasures and casual decadence--a margarita on a Tuesday, boats (!!!), eating so much watermelon you feel like you might puke. It also is "beach read" season as the NYTimes points out. For the first 21 years of my life, summer was a time when I decided to read 'the big ones.' The books I thought I should read and not the books that would actually make me relax. Some examples: Ulysses (Joyce), Middlemarch (Eliot), The Odyssey (Homer). I wish I was kidding. I wasted many a golden summer trying to slog through things I had no real interest in reading at the time.

Last summer, some friends and I started a romance novel book club. This gave us the opportunity to read hilarious, "trashy" books for a reason. It was a huge success (meetings over nachos and margaritas? Hell yes!) but met with a lot of resistance from some of my more "intellectual and philosophical" library school friends. They didn't get it, because we weren't being enriched by these books. My message: no reading is bad! Reading is an escape! Reading should be FUN!

So, this summer, I'm going to let my trashy read freak flag fly. I'm going to read whatever I want, without shame. I'll start out by letting you know that I've read three Janet Evanovich books in the last three days-- books 3, 4, & 5 of the Stephanie Plum novels. Number 6 is waiting to be packed into my beach bag, along with Truck: A Love Story by Michael Perry. I've also got Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, but I think that can wait til next week.

So, what are your 'beach reads' this summer? Do you use summer as an excuse to read books openly that perhaps before were only read in the privacy of your bedroom?

Photo source

Swoon

Check it.

I'm drooling.

Thanks to Natalie for pointing me to this. That room up above? In my mind, is in a French villa, surrounded by beautiful gardens and fields of lavender. And guess who is walking through those rooms in lovely floaty dresses? Moi!

photo source: booklovers never go to bed alone

Digital Tour

Apartment Therapy is consistently one of my favorite sites, and their feed into my Google Reader is always a fun way to start the day. Today they pointed me towards the digital tour of the Robie House, a Frank Lloyd Wright building in Chicago. Robie House is located in Hyde Park, Chicago, right on the University of Chicago campus. I was lucky enough to tour this home in the flesh a few years ago. Wright's architectural style strikes a chord with me, perhaps because it celebrates and emphasizes the natural Midwestern landscape. Robie House is one of my favorite buildings (I've toured a few of Wright's buildings) and I am very excited that this restoration has been undertaken.



The digital tour online is a great example of how technology can be used to celebrate, enhance, and archive work done in "real life." While I don't think anything can compare to seeing the real house, this is a great way for people without the means to travel to see this masterpiece. It also allows a lot of information to be provided to these digital tourists. While preservation of websites is always a problem, for the time being this digital tour is a wonderful way to document the progress made on this historic site.

I highly encourage you to visit the Robie House if you're in Chicago anytime soon. You should also check out various points around Hyde Park, including the Roosevelt Chapel, pretty much all of the University of Chicago, and also all the bookstores near campus. Plus, you can check out President Obama's neighborhood (good luck getting very close to the house.)

If you're really into Wright, check out the offerings and work of the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. They've got some great things going on. I had margaritas with a girl who works there once, and she was pretty cool, so they've got that going for it too.

Photo source: GoWright

Beautiful L!brary Book

Look at this! I want to read and/or devour this!





Check out The L!brary Initiative. It is a book detailing how The Library Initiative paired New York City public schools, philanthropists (The Robin Hood Foundation), and designers, architects, etc to create beautiful, engaging, intellectually stimulating environments for children to read and explore. It basically is everything I believe should be a part of ALL library design. I want to read this so badly.



I mean, who doesn't want to go to the school library when it looks like that?

Thanks to librarian.net for pointing me towards this.

Photo source: Pentagram

monday monday

So many changes are afoot!

Lots of big things are happening in my life right now. I have a feeling this blog is going to subtly change with them. I know it is designed as a blog to document my relationship with technology...but it is also about handmade lovelies and how I feel. And right now I'm feeling a lot. A lot of things, different emotions, but mostly just a lot of everything all the time.

One of these big changes is that I will be starting my first professional jobs in 15 days. This not only is a big lifestyle change, it means moving, buying a car, etc. The apartment has just been confirmed and is my first solo (no roommates!) apartment. I've had a few amazing roommates (flatmates too) in the past, but I'm ready and excited to live alone. This also will give me more opportunity to create new crafts, decorations, etc for this new home. I am planning on really working out my personal aesthetic and design inspirations. There are many limitations to this space, but I hope to find a way to make it mine.

So, no real post today, just a warning that this space might be little more cluttered and distracted than I would have hoped. For now, here is some inspiration from around the web:

Tiny bunny love

toilet paper tubes of awesomeness

serious dress crush

planter table

Pooh

An enduring favorite thing of mine is when authors include hand drawn maps in books. It makes the world they have created so real. As a child my favorite projects were always the ones where we invented a country and got to draw a map.

Perhaps the sweetest, kindest story ever written had a map too:



Photo source

My Libraries: Wauwatosa, WI

Continuing the series about libraries I've belonged to, we're going back to the very beginning. The Wauwatosa Public Library in Wauwatosa, WI was the first library I ever used. I got my first library card here when I was 7 years old.

The library is a really gorgeous building. The first floor is dedicated to circulation, administrative offices, and meeting rooms. Up a lovely staircase, we get to the adult and children sections. These are separate rooms, both quite large, and very different in style, tone, and atmosphere. I loved the children room. There was an amazing librarian with bright red hair who used to do storytime. She was a really lovely lady--kind, fun, and warm, just as a youth librarian ought to be. The story time room was renovated recently--within the past 8 years. It has these amazing doors that look like giant books. It's separated from the main room, which allows for separate events and noise levels.

The adult section, which I've been using since I was about 11 or 12, is much darker and quieter. There are some seating areas in the large glass window sections, near the magazines and newspapers. This was one of my favorite spots to read and study as a teenager. I still like to spend time there when I'm home for vacations or holidays.

My favorite thing about this library is the space. While the collections need to be weeded and the web page is actually embarassing (I almost couldn't bring myself to link to it here) the space is amazing. The staff is very helpful and fun. With some modernization and innovation, I think this could be one of the best libraries in Wisconsin. Whether that will happen remains to be seen. Tosa is not hiring, so I can't imagine any fresh blood will be injected to keep them fresh. It really needs it.

Although this library has some issues with its collections and online resources, it is very busy. People love this library and support for the library is strong within the community. With a proactive, innovative staff, this library could become even better. If you are a Wauwatosa resident, email your mayor, alderperson, or the library and ask for a new website, increased resources, or whatever you think it needs. The library exists to serve the people of Wauwatosa, and I know it would be pleased to hear from you.

Photo source: Wauwatosa Public Library