Bookshelves Everywhere

When in doubt, put in more bookshelves. via

Vintage Christmas Postcard

Vintage Christmas Postcard by Zdenek Guth. Original from The New York Public Library. I love this illustration with the angels celebrating Christmas in the snowy woods. Tonight I am going to watch Call The Midwife 2020 Christmas Special on PBS.

xo

Bookish Christmas Card

I adore this custom Christmas Card designed for The London Library 2020. It's easy to see why it's sold out. Isn't it a perfect card for a library, librarian, or book lover? Perfect to send to your Book Club members too.

Wonderful Home LIbrary

Lovely in almost every way. Maybe they hoved the table and rug closer to the chair just for this photo and moved the footstool or ottoman. Am I the only living human who absolutely must have my legs outstretched to get comfortable? I adore this room and the bookcases that round the corner. via This wouuld be a good spot for bird watching too with binoculars on the lamp table. I have bright sun this morning that will melt the snow on my balcony without shoveling. I'm happy to hear so many of you are enjoying my bird photos. xo

The Almost Perfect Reading Room

Add one ottoman and this room would be perfect. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. xo

photo source

Window Seats with Library Bookcase

This is such a great idea; twin window seats flanked by a bookcase that touches the ceiling! via

Royal Nap: The Most Noble Andrew, 11th Duke of Devonshire

The Most Noble Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire napping in his library at Chatsworth. via
I have posted this photo before but since we are all staying at home and spending a lot of time on our sofas, I thought you would enjoy seeing it again.

He once told an interviewer: "Wonderful things have happened in my life — it's time my son had his turn. When I was young I used to like casinos, fast women and God knows what. Now my idea of Heaven, apart from being at Chatsworth, is to sit in the hall of Brooks's, having tea."

300,000 Free eBooks: Free w/ Library Card

read entire message here

There's good news for all the e-bookworms out there. The New York Public Library released an app today that allows anyone with a library card (and an iOS or Android phone) to "borrow" any of the 300,000 e-books in the collection.

It's called SimplyE and will allow you to read books on your phone, but beware, there might be a wait list for some popular titles, including the Game of Thrones series. (Check out the Harry Potter books, quick!) The online collection will continue to grow, and there are Kindle and web browser versions in development. But, for now, take a break from Pokemon Go and read to your digital heart's content.

All you have to do is download the app called SimplyE

I have already downloaded it from The Apple App Store. So this is what the IOS version looks like. If you have an android phone you can download it too. I think you have to do it thru Google Play. 

I hope Audio books come next. Take care and stay busy. xo

Hello, December

Last December I published a red copy of December page from The Procession of the Months by Walter Crane. It seems like yesterday. I worked outside chopping down tall weeds with my electric hedge trimmers and cleared quite a lot of lawn. It felt good to be outside. This was my third day in a row doing such. Today it's much colder and there is a freezing rain that could turn to snow later. I unearthed my snow shovels yesterday too. Enjoy what's left of the first day of December 2019. xo

Bookcase, Staircase, Home Library Love

This photo gives new meaning to under the stairs storage. I have always loved a twisty curved staircase and this one is spectacular. That bentwood handrail ❤💓!

Hello Novmber

I posted this image one year ago a tan color HERE. So far, I have posted January through November in Red. The description for the tan one at Harvard can be read here. 

We had a horrible rain and wind storm overnight and I woke up to a tall tree from my next door neighbor's property over the part of my driveway leading down to my red barn and the canopy of the tree with no leaves in my front garden. No damage was done and a tree person said my part of the cleanup will be very inexpensive. It was horrible just after midnight when I woke up to see what was happening outside. And then I heard the crash but could not determine the source. I slept soundly somehow and found the tree when I opened my front door. Power never went off and many people all around me had much worse damage. All that on Halloween night too. Yikes. Hope you didn't have any damage. xo

Two More Kanopy Movie Recommendations

A MAN CALLED OVE: I actually watched this on a DVD from my library but it is now on Kanopy so I want to watch it again. I blogged about the book before I saw the film (with subtitles).

Ove, an ill tempered, isolated retiree who spends his days enforcing block association rules and visiting his wife's grave, has finally given up on life just as an unlikely friendship develops with his boisterous new neighbors. Based on the bestselling novel.

I just read that Tom Hanks is producing and starring in an English language interpretation of this film. That should be good. I adore Tom Hanks!

THIS BEAUTIFUL FANTASTIC: A contemporary adult fairy tale revolving around the unlikely of friendship between a reclusive young woman with dreams of being a children's book author and a cantankerous widower, set against the backdrop of a beautiful garden in the heart of London.

Bella Brown (Jessica Brown Findlay) is a beautifully quirky young woman who dreams of writing and illustrating a successful children's book. When she is forced by her landlord to deal with her neglected garden or face eviction, she meets her nemesis, match and mentor in Alfie Stephenson (Oscar-nominated actor, Tom Wilkinson), a grumpy, loveless, rich old man who lives next door and happens to be an amazing horticulturalist.

This was the first movie I watched on Kanopy 8 months ago. I found it delightful. I loved all of the library scenes and the mean librarian too. Watch the movie trailer here.

Let me know if your public library offers Kanopy.

July is here. Let the summer begin.

Happy first day of July.

The year's half over.

Photos from House Tour Today

Dining Room: Lovely cupboards on either side of recessed nook with sideboard.

The Library. Wall of bookshelves doesn't show.

Outdoor Fireplace opposite Fireplace in kitchen.

It was a lovely day to be out and about with the hottest part of the day being only 71° but the heat will be on tomorrow and the rest of the week in the 80s.

Hello June

I wanted to post this wonderful 19C. illustration and poem on time. Happy first day of June.

Merry May by Walter Crane

I am a few days welcoming May. So far, she's has been chilly and rainy. I heard on the news this morning that in the past 20 days, 16 of them had rain. I have had to mow earlier and more frequently this spring than in any other. An illustration from: The procession of the months: the verses by Beatrice Crane; the designs by Walter Crane, [1889]. via Houghton Library at Harvard.

Antiquarian Print: Rabbit circa 1809

Perfect 19th century Easter Bunny

Full size Natural History plate. Napoleon I, 1809-17, Description de l'Egypte: Histoires Naturelles Planches. Volume 1. Mammifères. Plate 6. Egyptian Mongoose and Lepus aegyptiacus from the rare book collection at Linda Hall Library in Kansas City, Missouri.

Spring Forward: Daylight Savings Time

Did you remember to set your watches ahead today? I still have to set my stove, my radios, and my tall case clock.

The moving chart above is a Volvelle or an early paper rotating analog computer.

Peter Apian, 1495-1552. Astronomicum Caesareum, 1540.

Houghton Library, Harvard University

Books with Marbled Endpapers

I adore leather bound books with marbled endpapers. This is a very nice stack. via

Hallway Bookshelves, Nice!

via

I designed this quote long ago. I think Anna Quindlen would be most pleased if her children had bookshelves like the photo above.