Get Thee to a Bookstore: Autumn Releases 2011

There's something about books and autumn -- they go well together, like pumpkin pie and whipped cream, or new leather boots and sidewalks strewn with fallen leaves... So it's no wonder really, that September is practically bursting with sumptuous new books coming out.

Here are my top four most-excited-about new/coming-soon releases:

THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern: I picked this one up at Shakespeare and Co. a week ago, and just started reading it during my commute to language school this week. It's already made me miss my metro stop once. It is... spellbinding. Dazzling. Achingly beautiful. I catch myself closing my eyes after each chapter so I can sit and savor the delectable descriptions I've just read. Can't bear to put it down, but want to prolong the reading experience as much as possible. 

THE NAME OF THE STAR by Maureen Johnson: American girl at a London boarding school, a rash of Jack the Ripper-mimicking murders, ghost police(??) -- even if this wasn't by one of my all-time favorite authors, my interest would be piqued.

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor: I've read everything she's written so far, and can attest that Laini is a master weaver of words, a teller of magical tales, a seasoned guide to realms of the imagination hitherto never ventured before. Delicious morsels of temptation from her newest book: a main character with naturally blue hair, necklaces strung with teeth, studying art in Prague, chimera, burned black handprints on doors, star-crossed lovers... oh, the anticipation!

LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins: Regulars here will remember how I rhapsodized over Steph's debut, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, so it should be no surprise that I'm bouncing-on-the-edge-of-my-seat giddy that her next novel is (finally) coming out at the end of this month. I absolutely cannot wait to meet Lola, fledgling costume designer and owner of multiple wigs, and Cricket(!), inventor, engineer, and one half of a set of twins. Steph has a way of creating characters who are refreshingly new yet utterly relate-able to; they'll charm your socks off and make you care about what happens to them. And after the magical way she brought Paris to life in the first book, I can only imagine the San Francisco of LOLA is going to be an awesome place to visit. Honestly, just treat yourself to this book -- I promise you will be SO HAPPY that you did.

Happy reading everyone!

p.s. if you haven't already, come share your favorite book with us in the comments for the 10th anniversary giveaway post, and you could win some Parisian goodies!

Love List Friday: French Kiss Edition

 1. Paris, 2. Vin chaud, chocolat autrichien..., 3. dreaming, 4. Paris le point zero

Today's love list is not so much a list as it is a visual homage to the city of lights and to my favorite book of 2010, the luminous Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

I've waited until now to tell you about it because I didn't want you to have to endure the interminable anticipation I went through since I first heard the premise of this book a year or so ago. Happily, as of this month, ANNA is now in bookshops everywhere and I can urge you to go forth and treat yourself to a lovingly crafted, delectable tale of:

• boarding school 
• a narrator you'll want to be best friends with
• hot chocolate (chocolat chaud)
• new and old friendships with characters who are all too human
• culture shock
• le cinema
• British accents
• sweet email correspondence
• exploring a new city 
• a boy with a cute hat
• pajama sleepovers
• that heady, aching sensation of falling in love with someone we cannot have
• finding home

And it's all set in (where else?) PARIS.

1. Paris, mon Amour # 1, 2. Baguette, 3. Blue 'Patisserie': Le Marais - Paris, 4. Canada Flag

I actually don't want to tell you too much more; you should have the joy of turning each delicious page to discover for yourself the humourous exchanges and vivid descriptions and knee-weakeningly swoonful moments. A word of warning: if you are a stone-hearted robot who hates kissing, this is not the book for you. For the rest of us: oh my are you in for some spine-tingling loveliness.

1. Et le temps s'arrêta..., 2. ., 3. Untitled, 4. Paris cafe

Lastly, see pictures of Steph's book release party here, to which she wore a necklace by yours truly (OMG, so honored).

... um, so why are you still here? You need to go get the book and read it so you can come back and we can gush about it together. Enjoy!

Bisous,

L

 

Book Love: Tokyo Smile Holiday

Every few months something will trigger the homesickness -- someone posts photos of cherry blossoms, This American Life does an episode about the Japanese philosophy of teamwork, I come across yet another mis-use of the word geisha (seriously internets, please stop using this word to refer to any woman in a kimono) -- and the longing for my Tokyo life becomes a visceral ache.
Because one cannot just hop a plane and embark on a 23 hour journey around the globe whenever the mood strikes (unless, of course, you are Richard Branson), one must find comfort in the small reminders of home: a bowl of miso soup, YouTube videos of crazy commercials, a gander through the pages of the quintessentially Japanese Tokyo Smile Holiday by Mariko Hirasawa, an illustrated guidebook to the best the city has to offer.

Divided into sections by month, the book highlights the best places to explore for that season. June is tsuyu (rainy season), so there are a selection of atmospheric cafes to get cozy in. In July is the national holiday "Marine Day", where everyone in the country hightails it to the nearest available beach -- that chapter is all about the hidden delights of Kamakura, a laid-back seaside town whose cool green temples and airy beach restaurants are a very welcome refuge for those escaping the concrete heat of Tokyo. Kamakura is also the only place I know where you can get vivid purple soft-serve ice cream (sweet potato flavour).

I especially love that some of my own former haunts are featured; the Lover's Rock Cafe is where my friends and I once took shelter when a freak hailstorm interrupted our picnic under the cherry trees; D&Department is a so-hip-it-hurts restaurant co-founded by a former student of mine.

And more than just a local's-eye view of the city, the book itself feels like Tokyo. The visual appeal, the style, the cuteness, the almost too-crowded text, the attention to tiny details, the fixation on food (oh, do the Japanese ever love food), the appreciation of seasonal joys, and the indefinable sense of balance.

Um, the heat is starting to get to me. I sat down at my studio desk this morning, pliers and wire in hand, ready to create something pretty...and my brain just said NO, nuh uh. But not as clearly articulated as that -- more like it made the sound that jello makes when you shake it out of its mold -- a kind of dejected floomp sound.

So how does one get through the summer? What do you do to keep yourself feeling slightly perkier than wilted lettuce?
For me, the following provide, if not complete relief, then distraction enough to put a stop to my incessant whining about the heat! the burning! my brain is melting!
*ahem*

1. Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches:

The Perfect Snack by SimplyPhoto

2. Soft, light-as-a-feather, cotton camisoles:

Romance Shell from American Eagle

3. Cherry Compote, chilled in the refrigerator:

American Cherry Compote by yoshiko314

4. A Summer Reading List:

There is something about assembling a big reading list and then coming back from the library with a tall, juicy stack of books that just feels like summer vacation to me. Summer reading is meant to be light and fun. My pile consists of chick lit, children's books, travel memoirs, animal stories, and anything whimsical that promises to take me far away.

So far, I've enjoyed:
- The Girl With No Shadow by Joanne Harris (the sequel to Chocolat)
- The Soul of a Horse by Joe Camp (if you own a horse, or ever dream of doing so one day, this should be required reading)
- The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne (a literary cupcake -- so cute, so sweet)
- The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall (it feels like a children's' book from a long ago era, but it's brand-new)

And next up on my list is:

A Shepherd's Watch by David Kennard (a James Herriot-esque memoir)

5. A Cold Beverage:

fireescape by lexandthacity

book love

original photo by Tinker*Tailer

I just spent an hour at the etsy forums, getting some book recommendations from other shopkeepers. since I'll have a full 8 hours crossing the Atlantic from here to Paris next week, I'll be needing something good to read to keep me occupied.
This got me thinking about books i love, and inspired me to write up a top 10 list here. It would be too hard to do a list of my top 10 books of all time, so I'm just going to do the 10 best books I've read within the past year.
So here goes:

10. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
9. Brandenburg Gate by Henry Porter
8. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
because I have a weakness for Brit(ish) Chick Lit
7. The Hills of Tuscany by Ferenc Mate
because I'll read any memoir ever written about living in Tuscany
6. A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
thank you to Miho for sending me this and introducing me to a really fun and totally wacked out writer :)
5. A Year in the World by Frances Mayes
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by J.K. Rowling
3. Persuasion by Jane Austen
her last completed novel, and the only one I hadn't read yet -- it may be my new favorite.
2. Without Reservations by Alice Steinbach
1. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I just finished Stephen King's Insomnia and it's actually my 2nd favorite of his books (the 1st being Bag of Bones). I'm surprised at how good it was -- some passages were downright poetic and beautiful.