Mise-En-Scène: Eyes

Mise-En-Scène is a weekly bookish photography challenge created by What She Reads & Word Revel. To join in the fun, just take a bookish photo in correspondence to that week’s theme, and then link up your post. The challenge takes place on Fridays. I think it's a fun way to kick off the weekend, no?

This week’s theme is “eyes.” At first, I had no idea what direction I would take with that theme. Eyes and books? I couldn’t stop envisioning the spell book from Hocus Pocus: “Booooook, come to mummy!” But, alas, I don’t have access to a photo-op such as that one.

So, I walked over to my shelves for the next best thing, and lo and behold— inspiration struck in the form of various eyes staring back at me from the spines of my books.

• George Orwell’s 1984
• Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go
• Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone
• Alison Goodman’s Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

I threw in my favorite pair of cat-eyed frames for good measure. Don’t they look like they were plucked straight from the pages of The Far Side?

Did you participate in this week’s Mise-En-Scène? I’d love to see your bookish photos. If not, I’ll just leave you with this:

Luxurious Leatherbounds

So, it was admittedly a bit ambitious to promise a post a day during the semester's final week of grad school classes. But I'm back with some beautiful leather-bound classics, each one from Easton Press-- the same publisher of my Jane Austen collection. I want to note that I only purchased one of these books myself (used from a second-hand bookshop), and the rest were gifts from generous family members who enable my book addiction.

• Herman Melville's Moby Dick
• Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination
• Donald Trump's How to Get Rich (signed by the Donald himself)
• Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass
• Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
• The Poems of Robert Frost
• William Shakespeare's The Comedies
• Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird
• William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair
• F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
• Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn
• Charles Dickens' Great Expectations

I am not sponsored by or affiliated with Easton Press in any way-- I just really adore the high-quality of their books. The spines are inlaid with 22kt gold; the pages are gilded in gold and silver; the paper is acid-neutral and sewn (not glued) into the spine; the end papers are made of moiré fabric; each book contains an attached satin-ribbon page marker. There is so much detail and craftsmanship that goes into each book, I know I'll be able to read them and handle them over and over throughout the years without them getting worn-out or damaged. I love the idea that I own books that will stand the test of time and become heirlooms for my children and my children's children.

Own any Easton Press leather-bounds? Which books do you consider the crème de la crème of your collection?

Shelf Life

Yesterday I posted about my lovely library of yore. Each day this week, I'm going to share a close-up picture of each shelf and gush about its contents. Today, behold the beloved top shelf. 

Left to Right: My Jane Austen Collection from Easton Press. It just may be the pride (heh) and joy of my entire book collection. So far, I've read Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion. I've yet to read Northanger Abbey or Emma. I'll eventually get to them when the mood is right.

Top to Bottom: Assorted leather-bound copies of classics: Far From the Madding Crowd, Crime & Punishment, Dracula, The Good Earth, Life with Father, Twice-Told Tales, and The Red Badge of Courage. And I've yet to read any of these, either!

Clearly, I need to make time for these gorgeous books. They're all languishing away on my Book Bucket List, and they deserve so much better than that. I think I may make it a goal this summer to read at least half of the unread books from this shelf. 

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, I owned my own library...

...And it was glorious. I had an entire room dedicated to all of my beautiful books. I spent hours in there, organizing, reorganizing ('cause playing with books is my idea of fun), and just simply gazing at them. Lovingly.

Then, life happened, and I moved away to pursue my dream job. Sadly, sacrifices had to be made, and now most of my books are in storage. But I did take pictures of the epicness that was my personal library to immortalize it forever.

I was feeling nostalgic today, and as I flipped through all of the pictures, I thought maybe they are worth sharing here.

I'm going to share more close-up pictures of the shelves from this tower every day this week to relive my glory days. Plus, everyone loves a good #bookshelfie.

Hi!

If you were wondering why I've been missing, here's the reason:

I adopted a little kitten from a local shelter, and I've been too busy lavishing her with affection to regularly post here. I'll be back soon, though!

#DailyBookPic Photo-a-Day Project, The Finale

This is a very delayed update on the finale of my adventures with the #DailyBookPic challenge. Consider this entry the Closing Ceremonies, if you will. Let's pick up where we last left off...

Day 29- Autographed Book: My autographed copy of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros! I listened to her speak at a nearby university a few years ago, and afterwards I got to meet her. She is an amazing and inspirational woman.

Day 30- Book-to-Movie: My favorite Austen adaptations. I have quite the collection, if I do say so myself. They are the best to watch on rainy days. 

Day 31- Did Not Finish: A few books I gave up on. I am willing to start Life of Pi again, though. 

Check out my recaps of Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4. 

All the Daily Book Pics, collage style:

 

Here are my personal favorites:

I was lucky enough to be featured on Book Riot a grand total of 7 times for various #dailybookpic prompts!

• Day 3, Book Browsing
• Day 14, Picture Book
• Day 19, Reading Glasses
• Day 23, Learning to Read
• Day 27, Outdoor Reading Spot
• Day 30, Book-to-Movie
• Day 31, Did Not Finish

It was a really fun creative exercise that combined my new love of photography with my first love, books. The challenge is supposed to come back around again on Book Riot some time in the autumn, and I can't wait to get involved a second time.

#DailyBookPic Photo-a-Day Project, Week 4

Okay, I admit it. I slipped this week. I had to double (or triple) up a few times on some days. Blame my busy schedule and my slight disinterest in this week's prompts.

Day 22- Comfort Reads: Anne, Jo, and Elizabeth never fail to comfort me. Classic heroines to the rescue!

Day 23- Learning to Read: ...deeply and analytically. I could have used the textbooks from my Spanish course, or I could have used some children's books from my childhood, but I decided to go this route.

Day 24- Book Quotes: Who didn't love the quotes in the beginning of the chapters in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series? This quote is one of my favorites.

Day 25- Book Bag: One of many bags I used to transport my books. Pretty much any bag big enough will house a book of mine at one time or other.

Day 26- Re-purposed Books: My R & J Book Page Monogram from the Summer Pinterest Challenge. Every time I look at this frame, I fall in love all over again.

Day 27- Outdoor Reading Spot: I posted a similar picture of my favorite reading spot previously, but it still remains my favorite place to read, so why not post again?

Day 28- Well-Worn Book: Some of my grandfather's books that were passed down to me. They are incredibly precious to me.

Only three more days till the end of the photo-a-day project! Sadness. Check out my recaps of Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3.

#DailyBookPic Photo-a-Day Project, Week 3

Another week down, a week and a half to go. Yes, I am still holding strong with the fun and challenging #DailyBookPic project. If you couldn't tell I was a bibliophile before, at this point my dedication to the project might be all the proof I need.

Day 15- Marginalia: Some margin notes in a Norton Reader from my college days. I never write in my books; I only use sticky-notes if I ever feel compelled to scrawl.

Day 16- Cover Art: Folio Society's edition of Nancy Mitford's Love in a Cold Climate. Not only are Folio books beautifully cloth-bound, but they have the most amazing cover art as well.

Day 17- Favorite Bookstore: The great and glorious Mr. K's Used Books. By far my favorite local indie bookstore.

Day 18- Book Club: ...get it? haha. I'm currently not in a club, but this is a popular book club pick.

Day 19- Reading Glasses: This pair may be my all time favorite of all the pairs I've ever owned. Not only does it have little gems embedded into the sides, but it sports a G, my second favorite letter (R being the first, guess why).

Day 20- Book Pusher: This was a tough prompt. Its intent is to depict who or what pushes you to read. I originally wanted to photograph Jeff because he is probably my greatest reading supporter, but he thought I should take a picture of GoodReads or a recent mail-order of books. I ran with that and decided that the Mail Woman was my book pusher as she faithfully delivers me my beloved book packages.

Day 21- Books in the Wild: "Crikey! An elusive Borders Classic in its natural habitat!" said in my best Steve Irwin voice. Yes, the selection of The Jungle Books was deliberate, if you didn't already connect those dots.

Getting down to the final #DailyBookPic days. What will I do with myself when the challenge ends? Check out Week 1 here and Week 2 here for my previous prompt submissions.

#DailyBookPic Photo-a-Day Project, Week 2

Week 2 of #DailyBookPic was just as fun as Week 1 if not more so. Can I just mention how proud I am of myself for keeping up with this photo-a-day project? Usually these things become one more thing to cross of the daily to-do list, but I actually really look forward to participating. I make sure I take my picture for the daily prompt before midnight, and I only came close to missing a day once. It must be because the subject matter is so near and dear to my heart that I've stayed this interested and dedicated.

Day 8- Book Fetish: My feather and handcrafted fountain pen obsession. Not precisely book related, but I have a strong feeling that all the greatest books ever printed were initially written with these kinds of pens.

Day 9- Not-a-Book: ...but it used to be! My bookpage candle. This was one of the resulting creations from the Summer Pinterest Challenge. I just took some twine, Mod Podge, and a book page! It was very easy and quick to whip up.

Day 10- Page Count: Chapter one of John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces. Too bad I haven't gotten any farther than that. I really don't want to come short of my Random Reads goal.

Day 11- New Release: The books I've won in First Reads giveaways. I've already journaled about Gaiman's Black Orchid and Moore's So Far Away. I'm still waiting to receive the other two books. Picture me opening up the mail box each day with increasing disappointment that they haven't arrived yet.

Day 12- "I Keep Meaning to Read...": All of my leather bound books. I don't mean to brag [or maybe I do, a little], but I have an impressive leather bound collection for a twenty-something year old. Some of them are the affordable Barnes and Noble leathers, but many of them are gifts from my parents from Easton Press, the leather bound book mecca... though they aren't photographed here. Just take my word for it: I have 'em, I gaze lovingly at 'em. I just need to read them.

Day 13- Library Card: To be quite honest, I haven't had a library card in years. Sure, I had plenty of them growing up. I also rarely remembered to return any of the books I borrowed growing up. I learned from a young age that I prefer to buy rather than rent. So, I was in a pickle as to what to photograph for this prompt. Did I posses any book related cards? Why yes, yes I did. My trusty ole' Borders Rewards card. R.I.P. Borders; I still pine for you and will always be a Borders loyalist at heart.

Day 14- Picture Book: Nancy Butler's Pride & Prejudice the Graphic Novel. The second I laid eyes on this book I had to have it. It's a really beautiful and clever adaptation, and I thought it would be perfect for the picture book prompt.

Some of the prompts this week were a bit tricky, but I got creative with them and used my poetic license [shout out to my second grade teacher who taught me that phrase and made it stick, apparently]. Here's hoping I keep up just as well for Week 3!

#DailyBookPic Photo-a-Day Project, Week 1

Book Riot is one of my all-time favorite literary websites, and I'm an avid follower of their Twitter. So when I came across the #DailyBookPic photo-a-day project, created by Cassandra Neace of Indie Reader Houston, I really wanted to join in on the fun. So, without any further ado, here are my photos from Week 1: July 1-7, 2012.

Day 1- Favorite Reading Spot: My Swingasan Hanging Chair from Pier 1 Imports. If I could, I would sit here and gently rock and read all day long. I especially love the built-in cup-holders and bookshelves. It was as if some genius designer created this chair with me specifically in mind.

Day 2- Current Read: The Fall 2012 issue of Do It Yourself Magazine [Hey, it's not a book, but it's print media]. So many ideas, so little time. This issue actually had a few pages of inspiring ideas just for home libraries. Can't wait to start tackling some of those projects!

Day 3- Book Browsing: Browsing my Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic shelf. I've read about 70% of the books on this shelf so far. Allow me to be *that girl* and clarify that I was obsessed with this genre way before The Hunger Games craze. In other words, not a bandwagoner, though I am okay with reading the authors who are trying to bank on this surge of interest in the genre.

Day 4- Bookshelf: My pseudo-philosophical bookshelf. I took this picture in a hurry. One of the benefits of using Instagram on my phone.

Day 5- Bookmark: I've already blogged about my bookmark making spree, so I will spare the details here.

Day 6- Book and Beverage: Embarking on my fulfillment of the Random Reads challenge with John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces and a can of Orange San Pellegrino.

Day 7- Book and Breakfast: Fruit juice, hamsteak, eggs, and toast while finishing up Creech's Bloomability.

Gotta admit I am thoroughly enjoying myself with this photo project. Though I could have used my Nikon, I opted to take the pressure of being perfect off myself and started my own Instagram account to keep up. All my fellow bookworms out there should join in on the fun.