Judging Books (and Blogs) by Their Look

We're told to never judge a book by its cover, but I confess, I often do.  Not only the cover, really the overall aesthetic of a book.  I like to flip through the pages, look at the print, any notes, images, etc.  I confess that I am much more apt to actually purchase a book that is friendly and approachable than one that is cramped and uninviting.  I am wooed by fancy graphics and lovely fonts.  For this reason I love Amazon's ability to view pages for my online purchases.

There may be a difference here between non-fiction and fiction.  I think I'm pickier about the layout, font, etc of a non-fiction book than a novel.  As long as the print is easy to read, I'm usually good to go on a novel--although I do prefer some covers of classic literature to others.  (Don't get me started on movie-themed book covers).  But a "self-help", informative how-to, or some other informational book really needs to wow me a bit beyond just the printed content.  Am I alone?  Do you judge books by their overall appearance?  What's necessary for you to actually purchase a book.  

What about blogs?  As I've been spending time lately with the layout and image of my blog, I began to wonder.  How much does the look of a blog matter?  I know I'm much more apt to read blogs that are visually appealing, but then after that initial draw, I spend more than half of  my blog reading time on Google Reader, so I don't see the actual blog very often.  

Do you read most blogs by RSS or via the actual site?  Are some sites so lovely that you make it a point to visit them directly?  

What woos you more?  Text or visuals?  Is is different for online reading and print materials?

Henri Nouwen (Sunday Spirituality Series)

I am a huge fan of Henri Nouwen and this book is an excellent way to get into his work.  It's a book of 365 devotions.  Each day's devotion is thought-provoking, challenging, and also comforting.  I read the book (almost) every night a few years ago, and it was a highly rewarding experience.

Nouwen is an amazing spiritual thinker and writer.  I encourage you to look into the many books, essays, and prayers that he has written.  

Harold and the Purple Crayon-New Friday Series

I love children's books.  I loved them as a child, and continue enjoy them now as an adult.  I still turn to my old favorites from years ago, and also love new ones I'm only now discovering.  I've decided to post every Friday about a favorite children's book, or a favorite book about children's literature in general.  Last week was Fancy Nancy, and this week it's Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Harold came into my life my freshman year of college.  My best friend and hallmate, Katie and I started having "story time" with our dear RA.  I'm not sure how it started-Katie, do you remember?  I know she was in the children's lit class, so that's where she started getting the books from.  Anyway, one day we read Harold.  Our favorite part was in one of the subsequent books when Harold talks about rockets and the government.  He's a very precocious toddler.  

Basically little Harold goes on nighttime imaginary adventures with his little purple crayon in tow.  Every scrape he gets into can be solved with the dash of his crayon.  It's sweet and simple, and yet so creative and imaginative.  I've read it to all my nieces and nephews and the kids I baby-sat for and it's always been a hit!  I also read it to high-school aged campers as part of their leadership curriculum.  We used it when we talked about creativity and problem solving.  I also heard him mentioned in an old rerun of Gilmore Girls recently, and he's also the favorite book of Michelle Pfeiffer's character in a movie I saw a long time ago.  The Story of Us maybe?  

There are some updated books with more colors in the illustrations, but I prefer the simpler drawings.  It's a cartoon now, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. But there are some fun animations from the 60's and then seem very authentic and true to the book. 

What are your favorite children's books?  Any I should include from your childhood or that you've discovered as an adult?  

Enjoy!

Online Reading Group

This month, I am starting an online reading group with several friends from college who are scattered all over the place.  Our first pick is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  I was worried because I have had the book for over a year, but my copy is packed away with the rest of my stuff.  I didn't want to buy it again, but then I found it on my mom's book shelves!  I'm going to have to see what other gems are there before I leave!

Has anyone read it?  I think it was someone's favorite line from a few posts ago!  Has anyone ever participated in an online book group?  We are using a Ning social network, and so far it seems to be working pretty well.  I will keep you all updated on our progress!  We're hoping to discuss the book by the end of June.  

I'm excited to jump in and read it!  

Knit Two

Last summer, when I came home from grad school for a few weeks, my mom had placed a stack of books on the night-stand by my bed upstairs.  They were all books she thought I'd enjoy, since I had the time for pleasure reading without my regular school load.  One of them was The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.  I devoured it in just a couple of days.  Although I've had an interest in knitting for a while, I've never successfully picked it up, but this story masterfully wove some more technical aspects of knitting into a compelling story about and odd group of friends.  I was surprised by the ending, but overall, it was an excellent read.  

She came out with a sequel some months later, but I was unable to read it before I finished school.  I picked it up a few weeks ago and, again, consumed the novel in about 60 hours.  At first it was a bit slow as it started with reminders and rehashings for the first book.  It picked up, however, and was another captivating read.  The sequel takes place five or six years later, and I loved seeing what had become of the characters in that time.  the members of the Friday Night club were still close and central to the story, but they did not meet as regularly as in the first book, and, to me, it felt like something was missing.  However, I was much more satisfied with the ending to the second book.  The first book left me at something of a loss, but the second assured me that the characters were all going to be okay.  

If you are looking for some summer reads that are fast and engaging--check out the Friday Night Knitting Club novels.  Now if I could just learn how to knit...

For Tibet, With Love (Sunday Spiritual Series)

I studied in London for a semester in college.  It was amazing.  In addition to all the fabulous sites there, there were endless book stores to visit.  There was a Waterstones (basically the British version of Borders or Barnes and Noble) just down the road from where we attended classes.   I went there most days before or after class.  One book caught my eye there, but I had already bought way too many books on the trip.  My suitcases were going to be seriously overweight, so I just visited my precious volume from time to time.  

This book was For Tibet, With Love by Isabel Losada.  Finally, in my last week there, I bought the book for our post-finals trip to Italy.  On the plane from London to Rome, the train from Pompeii to Venice, the hostel in Florence, and everywhere in between, I read the book from cover to cover, then opened it again and read it through a second time.  By the time we were flying back from Pisa to London, I think I was reading Henry James.  

Anyway, about the book.  It's about a British woman who begins to learn more about the struggles of the Tibetan people and their oppression by the Chinese.  The book chronicles her journey to Tibet and also a later trip to India to meet with the Dalai Lama himself.  She also writes a great deal about the history of the Tibetan people and about the Buddhist faith.  I was completely captivated and inspired.  The subtitle of the book (and the American version's title if you want to buy it in the States) is A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World.  And it truly is.

The book is structured around the Serenity Prayer which is :

God, grant me the serenity 

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And the wisdom to know the difference.

She works with this prayer throughout the book and addresses each line of the prayer in a different section of the book.  

The prayer is usually attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr, but the origins are somewhat hazy and sometimes disputed.  It's also the prayer that is used by AA in some form.  

As I was reading the Wikipedia article about it to learn a bit more about it for this post, I saw this Mother Goose nursery rhyme from 1695 that is cited there.  Some suggest that Niebuhr may have unconsciously received inspiration for his prayer from it:

For every ailment under the sun

There is a remedy, or there is none;

If there be one, try to find it; 

If there be none, never mind it.

I love that rhyme!  It certainly does have some similarities to the prayer!

I hope that I can start my week with more serenity.  Remembering this prayer again has inspired me.  

For Tibet, With Love is a fantastic book-it is similar to Eat, Pray, Love in some ways, if you enjoyed that one.  Isabel Losada has written a few other books, including the Battersea Park Road to Enlightenment.  I haven't read it, but I hope to soon.  In this book (which preceded For Tibet) Losada tries out numerous spiritual and secular methods that are supposed to lead to enlightenment.  Another book to add to my list!  

Real Simple tips and a fun link

Real Simple is a favorite of mine, and I love following their "Simply Stated" blogs.  As my thoroughly overwhelmed book cases can demonstrate, I find it hard to part with my old books but here are some excellent ideas for passing them along if you ever have the need/desire.  

Also, I found this blog from a tweet by @SweetEventide who has her own fun blog: 

Hilarious!  And so true!

Fancy Nancy

I've been horribly neglectful of this blog.  Life has been crazier than I anticipated between looking for jobs, helping my mom get the house ready to sell, and visiting family and friends.  Right now I'm watching my niece and nephew for the weekend.  Last weekend, I was visiting my sister and her family.  Both family's include three-year-old girls, and they both enjoy Fancy Nancy.  I love these books as well.  The illustrations are incredibly detailed, and so clever and creative.  I read the same book to my niece, Katherine, over and over again, but each time I discovered something new in the pictures.  Like the title of the book she's holding on the cover page, or the fact that she used a broom and a mop to make her bed into a canopy (I still can't figure out how she rigged up that one).  They are fun to read, delightful to look and and wonderfully girly.   It's one of those books I wish they had when I was little!!  

Also, check out this fun conversation with the author and illustrator!