Hello, welcome to The English Muse, my early experiment in blogging and coding...

I changed my Tumblr theme (snapshot above, new page and photo credits here. ) And I started a new book, "Everything Beautiful Began...

I admit it: I'm a textile junkie. I keep fabrics, large and small, stacked in clear boxes. So I was excited to discover that Virago Mod...

The New York Review of Books just posted a brilliant essay by Charles Simic on this subject. An excerpt: "Until a few years ago, h...

Such a charming little cottage and tree house in Sweden. Taken by Umeå-based photographer Anna Ådén. More on her blog!

The August issue of Matchbook Magazine is out and it includes a lovely article by Katie Armour, featuring the photos of Gray Malin ... ...

At this moment I'm sitting on the back porch listening to the crickets. There's a cool breeze scented with jasmine...It's the ...

Sunbathing, reading pulp (Dracula in Love, by Karen Essex) , planting the front garden. Be back soon! (Photo by Yuli Sato.)

I just started Julie Orringer's "The Invisible Bridge." It's a love story set in Budapest and Paris, and it looks amazi...

Weekend To Do List Saturday: *Avoid the 405 Freeway (This weekend is Carmageddon here in Los Angeles!) *In fact, avoid car travel al...

Publisher's Weekly has a fantastic blog post this week on the most frequently filched books.  These are some very well-read thieves! ...

Since most of the books I buy these days are from secondhand stores, the one I'm reading now is a little old but still good. It's ...

I've given up my desk for a spot by the air conditioner! Extreme heat requires extreme measures. My sidekick, Lola, the black Pom...

We've had so many sleepovers at our house this summer... The living room has become a crash pad for girls and animals. It also hap...

My friend Elaine arrived last week from Paris for a two-month stay in Los Angeles. She always comes with gifts (this year, a scarf from a...