Book Nook

from Dwell Magazine

Birding Nook at Potic Cottage

As I clip decorating ideas, inevitably I pull a picture which includes bookshelves.  This pic from Dwell Magazine, however, is truly unique-- almost a book 'womb'.  In a NYC apartment of 240 sq ft, what you don't have in space, you must compensate for in clever ideas.Those hidden spaces, used more often for storage than habitation, are rife with possibilities. It reminds me of the birding nook James created for the kids at Potic Cottage. Now I'm tempted to add a few bookshelves in the far corner.

Child's Play

It was My Life In France that did it-- it made me a Julia Child fan. Sure I had grown up with her show on PBS, but then it was the background noise of my childhood. Her memoirs changed that. Transported to Julia Child's apartment in 1940s Paris, I experienced the lushness of the landscape and the cuisine, discovering them through Child's words. Though I'm not one for recipes myself, Child's fastidious and scientific approach to showing Americans how to create French meals revealed a woman whose intelligence and sophistication I grew to admire. And she did it all with a palpable joy and a glass of wine.
So it was with great anticipation that I went to see her kitchen at the Smithsonian. Despite the crowds and the plexiglass, it was a welcoming and intimate kitchen, functional and friendly. It surprised me. While kitchens today are grand marble affairs with center islands and subzero refrigerators, Child's pans on peg boards, knives exposed, cupboards without doors offer insight into her process. I easily envisioned her flowing from one workspace to another, reaching for a spatula, turning on the mixer. Her bookshelf, another marvel, offered even more insight. I've frequently considered the topic of bookshelves, so I relished the chance to see what was here. Audubon's field guilde, Bullfinch's' Mythology, well-worn cookbooks intermingled with an unfussy, unpretentious, utilitarian air. I wanted to plop down at the kitchen table and flip through them while Julia whipped up a simple meal for us. I emerged from my fantasy satisfied, wonderfully transported and surprisingly refreshed, not unlike a great dining experience.

Nook vs Kindle: Your Opinion Please

Olivia asked Santa for an e reader. I myself have remained a rather old-fashioned book reader, quaintly marking up hardcovered books with notes, audiobooks filling in during the school year commute-- but the idea of carrying so many texts on one little device does pique my interest. And although it won't look as snappy on our bookshelves, if a kid asks for a new way to read, one e reader coming up! As to which one to choose, I'm doing a bit of investigation. Illuminated touch screen, one point for Nook. Audio text, a point for Kindle. I've read the reviews and asked a few folks, but please, if you have an opinion, kindly weigh in.

The Books We Read

Spending a week in a small, snow-covered cabin in the woods without television or internet, inevitably books become a central part of daily life. Armed with several new books, the entire family picked up something to read.

I was given a wonderful gift of Natural Flair by Klaus Kramp, a survey of contemporary buildings around the world which are particularly connected to the landscape and feature alternative energy systems. Talk about a perfect gift for inspiring James and me to set some new goals for Bouler Architecture.

Jackson and I enjoyed looking through the lush photography of The Way We Live With the Things We Love, a book about what people collect and display in their homes, a recommendation from Holy Hudson. It was interesting to see the objects which tickle someone's fancy enough to collect in the truckload: was the collection singular? eclectic? nostalgic? ethnic? Jackson thought of his godzilla collection and I realized after my fifth chicken purchase that I was inadvertently collecting those. The book, however, could do with a little more analysis of this drive to clutter a space with objects. In the end, as much as I enjoyed the book, it made me want to clean house.

Olivia curled up with one of the new Warrior books by Erin Hunter. We didn't see her until the next day, once the 400 page book had been properly devoured.

The Calvin and Hobbes Anniversary Collection became the family hit. Everyone took a turn reading the classic comic strip, which is as fantastic today as it was when it was in the naily papers. I particularly enjoyed reading Bill Wattersons' commentary, as he explained the genesis of his ideas, the challenges of the format, and the conflicts between his artistic integrity and commercial interests inherent in syndication.

On the car ride up and back, we listed to the audiobook of Outliers, read by Malcolm Gladwell, written in his usual anecdotal analysis of our culture, this time about those who surpass societal norms. It was an engaging read that brought on a couple of discussions and helped pass the hours in the car.

So if you are in search of something for the bookshelf or a way to spend a holiday gift card, these are some of the family recommendations.

Book Ends

A wonderful blog called The Paris Apartment showcased several exquisite pictures of bookshelves. It inspired me to consider my own shelves. Indeed, you can learn a lot about a person by perusing his or her bookself. I have often quipped that I married James for his book collection. In fact,he had a beautiful edition of the OED, so could you blame me? (By the way, a free prize to the folks who can spot which of these pics is of his shelves.) Sometimes you can uncover a deeper truth about a person than you had anticipated. I once went to a kiddie party where the husband had his Henry Miller/Anais Nin erotic book collection in the living room. I confess it did alter my opinion of him-- raised it a few pegs actually. Studying a book shelf not only allows us to see what books people like to read, we discover if they are a neatnik with alphabetically arranged texts categorized by the dewey decimal system, or if they are a stacker, with mounds of books serving as an ottoman. I myself have tried vainly to separate texts by genre, but in the end, it's a mish mash with cookbooks next to art books, next to medieval poetry. The resulting shelves are a pastiche of color and font-- a sculpture of sorts. There are some interior decorators who advocate covering one's books in a uniform paper to create an orderly appearance. First of all, I 'm not sure I'd ever have the time to wrap my books, and secondly, I would never be able to find anything. Every room in my house has a bookshelf of which I have visually catalogued. Ask me a title and I close my eyes, envisioning its spine standing alongside its neighbor. Early Incantations and Rituals? Second to top shelf in the dining room on its side. Italian Gardens? In James' office, pink post-its sticking out. I have once heard it said that a house isn't a home until it has a cat. I feel that way about books, that a house needs books to be a home. Or, as Gloria Upson says to Rosilind Russell in Auntie Mame, "Aren't books awfully decorative?"