cozy bookstore

I spent this weekend a portion of this weekend in New York City with my boyfriend (now fiance!!) and his sister. The trip was thrown together over the last month, so the time for planning was minimal.

I've been lucky enough to visit New York a number of times. So instead of hitting touristy spots, I love to just wander around and happen upon places like this bookstore.

It was charming, cozy, quiet, authentic, gritty, and old. The random postcards, album covers, and stickers on the wall gave the place a "teenage bedroom" feel mixed with a certain intelligence and wit. I loved every square inch of it.

summer reading list

Summer is right around the corner, and although I have a stack of magazines to go through and a couple of coffee table books laying next to my bed, I have come up with a few books that are on my summer reading list:

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. I've never been a Jane Austen fan. I don't know - I get uncomfortable with all of the mushy-gushy stuff, but I am actually looking forward to reading this one. I have never seen the movie, and honestly I'm not 100% sure what it's about so I decided to put it at the top of my list.

Heat by Bill Buford. It's about the author quitting his job as a journalist to become a chef.

The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas. This a book I've heard about and immediately was intrigued since one of my most favorite (and heartbreaking) movies is "Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind". It's a love story that takes place solely in the place of consciousness, as if it were a real place.

I'm sprinkling in Kurt Vonnegut as well. His first three books, The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, and Cat's Cradle is what I'm most looking forward to this summer.

What are you reading? Anything I'm missing?

whirlwind

This past week has been a whirlwind. I finished up a couple projects that I can't wait to share with you and I had a week long migraine that just wouldn't go away. Staying on task when things get in your way can be difficult, but the results are usually much more rewarding.

This week I'm sharing with you the bits and pieces of upcoming projects and the inspiration that I have found (by not scouring the internet). Sometimes getting offline, diving into old books, magazines, or photo albums is the best way to give yourself a break.