What's your favorite book of 2010?

It's hard to decide between fiction, biographies and decor books. First, I have to disclose that I tend to wait until novels come out in paperback (and show up at my favorite second-hand store) so I can spend my limited book resources on gorgeous tomes like, sigh, the Louis Vuitton trunks book. But I did enjoy the Franzen book in hardcover. I loved the book of letters between Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. I got my hands on an advance reader's copy of Mr. Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt and it was wonderful. And then there was that gorgeous Cleopatra biography by Stacy Schiff.

But my favorite book? I'm going to pick something completely indulgent, like a box of multi-colored macarons from Ladurée.

It was Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. for just the pure joy of it.


(Photo by Lola Thomasina.)

Saturday Photos

Happy Saturday lovelies. I updated my Tumblr page, if you're looking for a little visual inspiration. :)

House Hunting

We're starting to house hunt again and I'm falling in love with all the properties redone by
Better Shelter, a group of Los Angeles area renovators who understand
that it's not just about plaster and paint.
Take a look at how they've styled two of their houses:

It makes me want to buy the homes and all the stuff inside them.

Thanksgiving...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I just wanted to tell you how thankful I am for all the friends I've met here in the blogosphere. Some of my dearest friends now are people I've never actually met in person. Funny how the New World works!

Thank you for all your support this year, especially with the passing of my dad. Your kind comments keep me going.

xo

(Photo by the amazing Alexander Salvage.)

Someday we'll be famous...

from here and here.

happy list

by pltw.

Dear Mr. James...

A Polaroid appreciation.
(from here)

*

And a fan letter:

(from here)

You never know what you're going to find on Flickr!

PS: Didn't Diablo Cody win the Oscar for writing Juno?...

Happy Friday

Happy Friday everyone! What do you have planned this weekend? I'm taking off early today to hang out with my bff, who is visiting from Paris. We're driving down the coast for a couple days of relaxation, reading and sunshine. I just got Kazuo Ishiguro's "Nocturnes." I can't wait to start it. I'm also bringing an assortment of fashion magazines
and the latest issue of New York magazine. (There's a really interesting story on James Frey...)

Thank you to everyone who friended me on tumblr (sorry, i know i'm mixing social media terms). Anyway, I've been enjoying all your pages!

Have a lovely, lovely weekend!

(Photo, above, is a snapshot from my tumblr archive. Image credits are there.)

x0x0x

Darcy on Twitter

Ok, I admit it. I'm an Internet addicted Janeite. So here it is, my latest discovery: Darcy on Twitter (created by the lovely Austen Pride.)

The Colin Firth Darcy is the best, don't you think? And I love the bio:  "Currently unemployed, living off my considerable assets. Dislikes: gold diggers. Likes: lively women with fine eyes."

Following 5 people (so typical)
Followed by 125,000
Updates: 17

Retweet indeed!

Giveaway: Patti Smith's "Just Kids" (CLOSED)

In honor of Patti Smith's National Book Award win this week I'm giving away a new copy of
her book, "Just Kids."

So leave a comment here. The winner will be announced on Monday!

AND THE WINNER IS: Someone in Jogja City!

So, what are you reading now?

At the moment, I'm reading Edith Wharton's "Italian Backgrounds." I've read lots of travel diaries about Italy, but Wharton's is amazing, like some delicious multi-layered tiramisu. You can't decide which is more lovely -- the subject or the prose.

This is escapist reading at its most, well, ravishing...

Photo by StopKatie.

Patti Smith Wins

Some very cool news:  The National Book Foundation just announced that Smith's autobiography "Just Kids," covering her years as muse to photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, won a National Book Award this year in the non-fiction category.

More winners here.

Add: Smith recently told Galleycat that writing is like exercise. "You have to commit to doing it and you have to do it every day," she said.
I wonder if blogging counts?

My Favorite Used Bookstore

The great thing about reading is it takes you places you've never been before or never thought to go. And there's no place where that's truer than in a great secondhand bookstore...



It's a place where tattered best sellers from a decade ago
merge with books that defeat time...

*

And literary journals are mixed with foreign magazines...



Like some perfect literary alchemy...



So this is my favorite hangout...



It's called Read Books and it's in Eagle Rock, a neighborhood in Los Angeles.
Lately I've been buying a book and a magazine (requiring much restraint), and then heading a block down the street to Auntie Em's for coffee and a chocolate cupcake.

Added bliss: sitting at an outside table, reading and watching
the sunset over the Santa Monica Mountains.

ADD: I just realized that this post has received comments from readers in six countries: the US, the UK, the Philippines, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. So lovely to know that the love of wonderful old books is global!

Are you on Tumblr?

I'm finally trying to do something with my long neglected Tumblr page.

Do you want to exchange links?!

Hamlet, the FB News Feed Edition

Want to read more?
Click Here!

(Hamlet page created by the very clever Sarah Schmelling.)