Nonsuch Book

ABC3D: graphic design tour de force for all

GIVEAWAY!: Comment on this post by end of day December 7 to win a new copy of ABC3D!

Well-executed 3-d books are always a favorite of mine. I love the way they typically (as in genius Sabuda style) take on a familiar subject or story, and take it to a different level of text interaction through advanced book art technique. You don't just want to read it. You want to touch it, move it, watch it change and transform with use. It is a work of art, the book as object rather than content alone. 

ABC3D (click on this link to see BN video of the book "in action") is an alphabet book like none you have ever seen before. From the French graphic artist Marion Bataille, this book requires no translation as it features only the letters of the alphabet. Notice the lenticular cover. Rotate it in your hands and watch the image change with movement and light. Page through the book letter after letter, and enjoy the cleverness of the black, white, and red designs. C turns to D as the page fully opens and likewise with a few other pairings. I and J cleverly share a dot. U conveys both strength and vulnerability simultaneously in its design. 

You have to pick it up to truly appreciate it. View the letters from every which angle. Absolutely fascinating! I can't wait to see how children react to this book. 

stash the swatches, it's all in the book

This is a fabulous weekend for nesting! Cleaning and organizing a bit. Reading a little of this and a lot of that. Eating the leftovers. Taking breaks to drive relatives to the train or airport after all the holiday fun. I am deep into The Hours for the first time (another Hall of Shame reading moment - how has this one gone unread for so long?) after being inspired to pick it up after a great post by Matt of A Guy's Moleskine Notebook this week. Thinking about getting ready for the next (and my personal favorite) holiday. Should I paint the front door red for Christmas? Which red?

Then lo and behold, I pick up Thursday's Washington Post yesterday (a day late - there was cooking to be done on Thursday), and there is this fantastic new book in the Home section - Colors for Your Home: 300 Designer Favorites. Now my bag has too many paint swatches in it - colors already on the walls, colors that might make it to a wall in the house one day, and colors I just like. I love to paint the house, to recreate my living spaces. Well, this handy dandy book puts all my paper swatches in one place, and is chock full of wonderful suggestions from professional designers. Well worth the modest price.

Now, what shade of red for the front door? And can I get it painted before the husband notices that there is another change coming? Back to The Hours for now.

a bibliophile gift that gives back

Shopping on Black Friday is the last thing in the world I would be doing today. I know some people get a huge thrill from hunting down extreme bargains with the friends they made while standing in line in the freezing cold at 4 am but I am not among those people. It seems a show of consumerism that yields no holiday gift of any originality. 

The gift you see above is not available during any early bird special today. They are one of a kind bookmarks that have been handcrafted by formerly homeless women reclaiming their lives through the Women's Craft Cooperative at Rosie's Place where they receive training in craft and business skills through art. These graceful, elongated silver-plated arcs are enhanced with seed beads and a mother of pearl disk. Each piece is unique and will arrive with a card signed by the artist. These lovelies are available through J. Jill throughout the holiday season for $12 each. With one mindful purchase, you can bestow something beautiful upon a book lover for Christmas, and touch the life of someone in need. Win-win scenario.

booking through thursday: things to be thankful for

Today is Thanksgiving here in the U.S. Now, you may have noticed that the global economy isn’t exactly doing well. There’s war. Starvation. All sorts of bad, scary things going on. So–just for today–how about sharing 7 things that you’re thankful for? This can be about books, sure–authors you appreciate, books you love, an ode to your public library–but also, how about other things, too? Because in times like these, with bills piling up and disaster seemingly lurking around every corner, it’s more important than ever to stop and take stock of the things we’re grateful for. Family. Friends. Good health (I hope). Coffee and tea. Turkey. Sunshine. Wagging tails. Curling up with a good book. So, how about it? Spread a little positive thinking and tell the world what there is to be thankful for.

1. My fabulous family. The screamer baby turned calm, graceful beauty. The mellow, take it as it comes baby turned wild man. The polar opposite of me, aka the husband, who has kept everything beyond interesting all these years. My love for them is beyond measure. For this I give thanks.

2. For all my family who came before me, and the wonderful gifts they gave me - love, unconditional acceptance, and many wonderful books. Yesterday, I was reading from my grandfather's set of Somerset Maugham short stories. The volumes are inscribed with his name and the date in 1953. It is a gift to be able to have the books he collected and read. He is the one on the far left here. This photo was taken after WW II when my great-grandfather welcomed home his children from the war - 6 of the 9 served active duty in Europe. They all came home fine - something to be thankful for.

3. For the great kids I teach who you see here on a field trip to hear Nikki Giovanni read from her new books for children. It is a 

privilege to touch their lives.

4. For flowers, books, and wine.

5. For Chai and Earl Grey tea and Thai food delivered on lazy days at home.

6. For all my friends including my new found blogosphere ones.

7. For the gift of happiness. It comes naturally to me, and has afforded me a lovely life filled with far more enjoyable memories than sorrowful ones. I wish everyone the same for it is a gift to be truly thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

murder on the eiffel tower

Back in the fall when Murder on the Eiffel Tower was released in the US, I read quite a few reviews from disappointed bloggers who had clearly hoped for much more from this French bestseller and award winner. Typically at this point, I would have removed this from my outrageously long TBR pile, but a local book seller who had read the second and third installments in the UK editions told me to give it a try. The series will entertain in the long run she prodded. So try it I did albeit a couple of months later.

In my very limited experience with historical mysteries, it has often been the case that the strength of the novel rested with either the history or the mystery but not both as was clearly the case here. The two French sisters writing under the pseudonym Claude Izner skillfully draw the reader in to the mood of Paris during the 1889 Exposition Universelle. The newly constructed Eiffel Tower is the focal point of this 100th celebration of the close of the French Revolution as well as the focal point of a mystery involving rapidly dropping bodies all of whom have signed the special guest registry on the highest guest platform of the tower. Have all perished from the sting of a killer bee as some believe or is there something even more sinister afoot? Well, the mystery is sometimes as silly and elementary as this sounds but as an evocation of turn of the century Paris, this novel is charming and engaging and that alone makes it worth the quick read.

The problems here? The young bookseller Victor Legris bumbles through the mystery in an erratic, attention deficit kind of way that does occasionally annoy. If he ran up the stairs to his apartment one more time to contemplate all he does not comprehend only to sneak out again to the streets of Paris for another go at it, I was going to put the book away. The other characters are very lightly drawn and offer little to entice the reader. This all makes sense if you think that the authors are attempting to build a foundation for a series, but this initial read is consequently very light and breezy and a wee bit contrived at the end. Reminded me of the movie Young Sherlock Holmes but an even less substantive offering.

The other problem rests with the translation I think. Idiomatic expressions are difficult to translate from any language, but when the attempt fails, the result is fragmented, choppy expression. Take that result and couple it with an unsettled and unseasoned detective protagonist, and the reader feels like they just took a ride at an amusement park with power surge problems.

All that said, the novel was OK. Just OK. I will go on and read the second and third installments as advised to see where these authors with a talent for historical atmosphere take their somewhat challenged character and plot development.

holiday giveaway: the gift of quirky

I love Christmas. I idealize it in an unreserved, childlike way. But the reality of my life is my wonderful quirky family who has served up quite an array of holiday memories over the years. David Sedaris books are a perfect match for me, as I believe that his brand of edgy humor is a product of a closet embrace of an unobtainable ideal. 

“David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favorites as the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two very competitive families, are Sedaris's tales of tardy trick-or-treaters ("Us and Them"); the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to the French ("Jesus Shaves"); what to do when you've been locked out in a snowstorm ("Let It Snow"); the puzzling Christmas traditions of other nations ("Six to Eight Black Men"); what Halloween at the medical examiner's looks like ("The Monster Mash"); and a barnyard secret Santa scheme gone awry ("Cow and Turkey").” (From the publisher) 

So here is the deal. Comment here by December 1 with your own less-than-perfect family holiday memory for a chance to win a brand new copy of this hilarious holiday book. And don’t hold back. Give us your best. Your relatives probably will not be reading this anyway. They will be crafting a molded tuna aspic for the holiday table or off to the liquor store for the traditional case of bourbon. Winner from random drawing of all those entered. Will ship anywhere.

serious book lust

I need to stop reading the Penguin UK blog. The shipping fees for acquiring all of these items I "must have" from across the pond could put my children through college. And yet, I can't seem to stop, and the items highlighted on that blog get more and more desirable. The latest find? These classic redesigns. Will request them for Christmas so as to side step any guilt I might experience over purchasing them myself. Look below. My favorite. My biblio-consumerism sometimes unsettles me but not enough to stop. Basbanes had it right. A gentle madness.

plum jobs if you can get them

It is a really exciting time to be living in the DC area right now with the big change coming. However, many among us can no longer take out-of-area calls from family and friends, as we know that they want to know - 1) can you get us inauguration tickets? and 2) can we stay at your house? The next set of questions is right around the corner as the new Plum Book was published this past week – do you know anyone that can get me a job in the new admin? Please. This book is a fantasy Christmas wish book for the Obama fan on your list but oh-so-fun to look through. 

“The Plum Book is used to identify presidentially appointed positions within the Federal Government. The list originated in 1952 during the Eisenhower administration. For twenty-two years prior, the Democratic controlled the Federal Government. When President Eisenhower took office, the Republican Party requested a list of government positions that President Eisenhower could fill. The next edition of the Plum Book appeared in 1960 and has since been published every four years, just after the Presidential election.” (From US Gov’t site) 

Most of these positions are appointed rather than competitive. Even for those positions that are competitive, you need to know somebody. So, as the Washington Post said this week, don’t quit your job and move to DC hoping something here might work out for you. Don’t buy the book either. Have a little fantasy job hunt one pdf chunk at a time.

give your loved ones a lump of coal for christmas

“The holiday season is a time for storytelling, and whether you are hearing the story of a candelabra staying lit for more than a week, or a baby born in a barn without proper medical supervision, these stories often feature miracles. Miracles are like pimples, because once you start looking for them you find more than you ever dreamed you’d see, and this holiday story features any number of miracles, depending on your point of view.” Lemony Snicket, The Lump of Coal 

Irreverent works for kids (and lots of adults too), and few do irreverent better than Lemony Snicket, aka Daniel Handler. Lots of saccharine kiddie stories float through my hands this time of year. Parents love them, claiming them to be their favorites from their own childhood, or, if a newer story, believing that a shared extra sappy indulgence will somehow solidify their attempts at the ideal family Christmas. Kids don’t care that much. There is a reason the Grinch is a perennial favorite. After years of reading to young children, I can tell you with a fair degree of certainty that many an eye will glaze over at a reading of The Night Before Christmas but the kids will cheer on the cruelty to animals routine of the Grinch tying antlers on to Max’s head every time. That is just the way kids roll (as they would phrase it themselves). 

That being said, this hilarious little book about a lump of coal thinking, talking, and moving about looking for a holiday miracle may be a bit much for the smallest among us. I would recommend it to the 9-12 year old set or if you know an especially sophisticated reader who enjoyed The Series of Unfortunate Events series. Take a peek through on the Harper Collins dedicated page and make the call yourself. If you are like me, you may decide on an adult or two that might enjoy this holiday treasure themselves. In the spirit of the holidays, remember - “Miracles can happen, even to those who are small, flammable, and dressed in all black.”

near letter perfect

And the last person in the blogosphere to finish the novel weighs in on The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Anne Barrows. This book is everything everyone claims it to be - charming, smart, delightful, a piece of historically significant fiction. As many have said, it is truly a celebration of the written word and a delight to bibliophiles not too jaded to relish in its gentle sentimentality.

As London begins to recover its equilibrium after the Second World War, Juliet Ashton casts an eye about her life in gentile shambles for her next book idea. She receives a chance letter from a man on the British island of Guernsey informing her that he has come into a used copy of a Charles Lamb book inscribed with her name. He wishes to know where he might find more books by this author. So begins a correspondence and friendship between these two unlikely friends and the whole of his island book group, the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

The wartime occupation by the Nazis has left its scars upon the isolated island, but the epistolary form of the novel gives striking individual voice to each of its characters to muddle, charge, or equivocate through the experience. Uninterrupted by the voices of others, unswayed in viewpoint by the presence of those who might contradict, the island residents are free to express their own experience during the war in these letters. In one of my favorite parts of the novel, Will Thisbee, antiquarian ironmonger, quotes Carlyle to Juliet:

"Does it ever give thee pause, that men used to have a soul - not by hearsay alone, or as a figure of speech; but as a truth that they knew, and acted upon! Verily it was another world then...but yet it is a pity we have lost the tidings of our souls...we shall have to go in search of them again , or worse in all ways shall befall us."

To know the existence and content of one's own soul without someone else drawing attention to its presence or nature forms a theme throughout the novel. The brave Elizabeth defines herself at great expense as do those about her on Guernsey in smaller but no less important ways. The novel is full of the choices made by islanders during the war as they seek to retain the self in the face of great hardship. Layer by layer, letter by letter, the reader enjoys the weaving of tenuous ties that join the most unlikely of people together in a celebration of the words that define them.