Americans in Paris

That's the subtitle of David McCullough's new book, The Greater Journey. It looks interesting, as usual when it comes to anything McCullough writes.

A bit about the Decorate event

Last week I was lucky to attend the Decorate book launch at Liberty. Unfortunately I didn't manage to make it to the early press event where Holly talked about her book and blogging in general but nonetheless it was lovely seeing her live and admiring her work. The table styling that Holly worked together with Sania Pell and Leslie Shewring was really beautiful and very  Liberty-esque.

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All in all a great evening and it was fantastic seeing Holly, she is absolutely delightful and incredibly inspiring. 

My Decorate review is here in case you missed it. Do you have it already?

Book worms

A home without books is not a home. Im a big big fan of big shelves, big bookcases and colourful (or not) books. I think they give a warm vibe to any room and any house and a playful mood. I have always been surrounded by books, my parents house is chock full which probably explains my deep love. Love it too?

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Kelly Hoppen's Ideas

Some days ago I received Kelly Hoppen's new book, Ideas (thanks!). For those of you who don't know Kelly (anyone?) she is a fabulous british interior designer. Her style is minimalistic but luxurious at the same time, modern but also very welcoming, very warm.  

I really enjoyed the book, Kelly's work is flawless and the book is full of tips and ideas, beautiful photography, neutrals colors and a heartfelt introduction by none other that Victoria Beckham. A must read definitely.
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More of Kelly's fine work
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Book cover and book photography by Mel Yates

Brooklyn Diary

aaand speaking about Lena Corwin (see post below, she designed the cute map) she curated this really interesting book, Brooklyn Diary. We all love to have a pick at the daily lives of others, it's human nature. And this book is just that, a pick into the lives on 21 Brooklyn based artists as seen by the lenses of 10 different photographers and curated by Lena Corwin. 

The sneak peak had me at hello

Friday finally!! have a great weekend! Ill have a relaxed one, and enjoy the first amazing issue of Rue magazine. Thank you so much to all the amazing team of Rue for all their incredible efforts to create this amazing magazine. xo

The book can be pre-ordered here

Deluxe Collection by Penguin

I know we all love the clothbound Penguin classics (I can't seem to stop buying them!) and everything Coralie Bickford-Smith has done but look at these too. A limited edition of books called "Deluxe Collection" with illustrations by well know artists, like Ruben Toledo, Julie Doucet, Roz Chast, Anders Nielsen and Chris Ware. So much fun!

Some of My Summer Reading

Not everything I read is serious...especially during the summer months. This is a fun one.

Just read in the car...

Paula Urburu's fascinating account of turn-of-the-century (19th to 20th, by the way) New York. Evelyn Nesbit, underage beauty, was arguably America's first supermodel, her image appearing on everything from serious art prints to bars of soap. This is a story of parental negligence, financial desperation, celebrity, and scandal in a city then emerging as more than a center of commerce, but also as a media dream machine.



[Below, Evelyn Nesbit]

Reading in the car...

...(not while driving, but to my wife, while she drives), T.J. Stiles' biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt, raised to be a thoroughly economic being--his mother once foreclosed on the mortgage of a widow, who happened to be her daughter--was, as Stiles shows, the first tycoon. This is a well-researched and beautifully written book that will keep you riveted!

Reading...

Frank Freidel's biography of Franklin Roosevelt. It's a good one-volume, no frills approach. I've been reading FDR bios lately to get differing perspectives on him, exploring analogies between the Great Depression and Roosevelt's response on the one hand and the recent recession/financial crisis and Obama's response on the other.

Just Arrived

Genesis by R.R. Reno, an installment in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible, to which I subscribe. I like the commentaries in this series. There's always something new to be learned about the Bible, of course, with new developments from the archeological, social-historical, and linguistic fronts. The Brazos commentaries incorporate these and are written by an eclectic group of scholars, including people of varied denominational and confessional backgrounds.

This Book Looks Really Promising!

Tonight, I started reading the second edition of a book called Roman House Churches for Today: A Practical Guide for Small Groups.

Don't be put off by what may seem like a sleepy title!

Roman House Churches can be read simply as a fascinating and sometimes, startling, look at the lives of the people to whom the apostle Paul wrote the letter which has come down to us in our New Testament as Romans.

But author Reta Halteman Finger also wrote the book to be the foundation for a fascinating role-play approach for modern adult students to get at how Paul's letter would have been heard and experienced by its first recipients, what the social, political, and economic conditions of their lives were, and what Paul's motives may have been--beyond finances, which Finger seems to believe wasn't a primary focus of the apostle--for enlisting the help of the Roman Christians in his planned evangelistic mission to Spain.

Finger insists that Romans should be seen as more than a musty book of doctrines or a source of proof-texts. Still less, she seems to say, should it be seen as lofty theology without reference to the specifics of history. So far, Finger has me convinced and I'm reading her book with rapt attention!

I'm not far into the book yet. But it looks promising.

So, watch out, Saint Matthew folks, this may be our next adult evening discussion/study group resource!

Eldest

Eragon grew up and now his better than ever after. He killed the Shade and now is going to ellesmera- the capital of elves's country, to learn more about Dragon Riders. He has to struggle with terrible scar which left on him, the Shade Durza and of course of with his destiny.
Situation in empire is bad. King Galbatorix summons an army, Varden move to Surda. Everybody thinks about coming war. Eragon has a difficult problem because people want to him kill the Galbatorix but he doesn't believe that he can do that. He's confused and scared. Only Saphira can undertands his feelings.
The second part it's about next Eragon's adventures but also about Roran's. His cousin hat to escape from the Ra'zac and he takes all people from willage with him! He becomes a commander and now he's responsible for all this people.
This part is also interestinf and exciting but we have to still wait for the third, (and not the last, how we thought) Brisingr. I can't wait!
I also want to say something about the film based on the story. It's really diffrent than the events and looks of novel's characters. So please, despite horrible mistakes in movie, read the book because it's worth it!

Eragon

Christopher Paolini wrote a great book. He was only fifteen when he made an "Eragon". The novel is about people, elves, dwarves, dragons. The author takes us to world full of magic and exciting events, even bloody battles.
We meet Eragon ehrn he's only fifteen (almost sixteen). He lives in small village, Carvahall in Alagaesia with cousin, Roran and uncle named Garrow. Eragon was hunting in mountain when he founded a dragon's egg. He didn't know that was a something special but he took it to the town.
In short time a dragon hatched from the egg. Eragon was shocked. With an old man, Brom he had to live his home to protect family and new friend. He named the dragon, Saphira.
Then was a lot amazing events and battles but i don't want to break you a suprise, so all you have to do is read the book!
I really admine Christopher Paolini for what he made. It't fantastic story and not much adults could and CAN create a novel similar to that one. I'm happy there are still a teenagers eho likes reading and also writting.

"O melba!"

Malwina is a normal teenager. Her mum is a journalist and they have to move very often. Mum's energetic ang great in her job. Malwina is shy, calm and normal student.
One day her mother received a phone that her sich sister died in mental hospital. She's scared because she has to go for funeral to Malwina's grandmother. They both stay there for a few days and that's how everything starts.
Malwina stays alone eith grandma and goes to her old school. She's happy but there is something wrong. Her grandmother is always bad and she doesn't want to talk about her daughter's death. A girl feels that her aunt did something in the past but no one wants to tell what.
But she's got her own problems with maths and handsome Olek (who is really wird and has got rich father). She starts to help him because he feels very lost and confused. He also knows something about what happend with her aunt.
In the end are shows amazing and incredible things about aunt's childhood and Oleks' father past. A interesting novel by Grażyna Bąkiewicz but for the presistent people!

The Au Pairs Sun- Kissed

A novel by Malissa de la Cruz "The Au Pairs Sun- Kissed" is a perfect book for "Gossipgirl"s fans. We can find there a few really funny stories and we can see the world of stars.
This is a story obput au pairs: Jacqui, Eliza and Mara. All of them met three tears ago when they were looking after a Perry's children. Now only one of them is a nanny, yhe rest take jobs before they'll go to college.
Eliza is an only child. She is beautiful and rich. Ahe takes a job in a famous desinger, Sidney Minks. In short time she shows thst she's got a big talesnt to wera a models. She's happy so she doesn't expact that her friend, Paige, plans something very cruel. anh she's got a problems with her boyfriend, Jeremy too, because he thinks that Eliza is a "princess", who does nothing.
Mara is practical journalist. Ske works for a famous Sam Davis. She's doing better and people like reading her arcitles. But there is a Tinker and her boyfriend Ryan is real lay-killer.
Jacqui works for Perry's family. She meets three hansome millioners. Jacqui stars to visit them and she saves Anna's and Kevin's marriage so she doesn't have to come back to brazil.

Ewa Nowak- "Diupa"

"Diupa" the latest book of Ewa Nowak is about the Rybaccy family. The main character of the novel eighteen years old boy- Wiktor met crazy Damroka and they started meeting. After same time he realized that he liked her more and more. Unfortunately he didn't know everything about the girl.
Wiktor's sister was also falling in love for the first time. It started atypical for her because of an accident of her beloved Wojtek. She thought that the accident had been her fault.
In the book we can also find a lot about the parents and friends (who could be known from the other books of Ewa Nowak). But all of this began from the parrot.
The novel is really interesting and you read it really fast. Until the end we don't know how the story will be finish. The author in excellent way describes our problems. That are so real.
I recommend that book all the girls!

GOSSIPGIRL 9

The next part of the book about rich people frm Manchattan, who have absolutely everything what they want. This time we keep them company during their summer holiday. Of course, there are a lot of parties, betrayals or funny moments, because this is what the occupants of Upper East Side live for.
Nate is working for his coach (of course not for fun). Serena is acting in a cover version of popular "Breakfest at Tiffany's". Blair is visiting her fiancée in London. Dan is working in a library. Vanessa is a cameraman in a film where Serena's playing. So there are a lot of interesting Things this summer. In the story there are some new characters who change everyone's life a little bit.
The book is worth to reading for this people who like light and funny stories. While reading you canforget about your life for a moment and go to hot summer in America, even though there is winter outside. The lives of people who wear only D&G, Prada and Gucci clothes aren't so simple. Because they don't know what should they buy for the best summer party ;).

J. R. R. Tolkien "The Hobbit"

"The Hobbit" is a fantastic tale about a title hobbit. Hobbits are similar to halflings, but only in appearance. They are peace-loving, short creatures with hair on their feet who live in a village called Shire. Main hero of this book, Bilbo Baggins, is a very ordinary hobbit. He lives peacefully in his burrow, but someday his old friend, sorcerer Gandalf, visits him and offers him a great journey. Little hobbit of course doesn't want to go, but clever Gandalf leaves mark on his door. On another day group of dwarves knock to Bilbo's door. And this is the begginning of a great and dangerous journey to old dwarves abode ocuppied by a dragon called Smaug. Bilbo is displeased with his current sittuation, but he wants to live an advanture. This book is really good, I've read it with satisfaction, and I can direct it to you. In this book you can read about Gollum, and about one ring, wich you can see in Lord Of The Rings trilogy. If you like LOTR you should read this book.

turns out all along that pi was just a hip shorthand for 'pisces'

So, I have an immediate answer whenever the paparazzi ask what most puzzles me about the gender I am not: "The whole horoscope thing." Of course, I understand that there are many women who reject horoscopes entirely, but still both personal experience, survey data, and perusal of differences in women's and men's magazines all indicate a much greater affinity for horoscopes among women than men.

Last night I was in Barnes and Noble and saw Danica McKellar's Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail. McKellar was Winnie on The Wonder Years. The book is supposed to help girls become interested in math. When the cover promised "horoscope inside!," I thought it was a joke, but, no, there is a section where she consults with an astrologer for a section about how the different astrological signs correspond to different math personalities.

The book cover also promises to answer "do you still have a crush on him?", but I didn't look to see what math it uses to determine that.

BTW, also in Barnes and Noble, a friend and I stood completely engrossed at the graphics novel table for a half hour reading the entirety of Robot Dreams, a book about a dog who wants a friend and so builds a robot, which he then takes to the beach where tragedy ensues. I think I'm going to go back and buy it for my coffee table collection.