On "Dreaming in Pictures: The Photography of Lewis Carroll": A Book Review

With Alice day coming up, I thought it was a good time to review a book relating to Lewis Carroll.

Title: Dreaming in Pictures: The Photography of Lewis Carroll
Author: Douglas R. Nickel
Genre: Non-fiction

About the book...
Half text and half images, Nickel delves into the world of Victorian photography and Lewis Carroll's practice of it and interest in it. 

What I think...
The text portion of this book is relatively short, falling under 80 pages. I appreciate the manner in which Nickel approaches the way the photographs have been viewed over time and how he deftly moves from one perspective to the next tying in historical viewpoints and the role the Carroll Myth has played. He also goes on to compare Carroll to others practicing photography at the time, such as Julia Margaret Cameron, to provide readers with a better sense of what photography was being used to convey to viewers. Additionally, I liked how he goes over the collodion wet plate process to give readers a better sense of what the hobby of photography entailed. 

The last portion of the book presents images of photographs, frequently mentioned in the textual portion, that Carroll took. These are well presented in large size with one per page and look beautiful on the glossy paper used for the book.

To sum it all up...
Great book for fans of Lewis Carroll or those who have an interest of Victorian era photography!

On "Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life": A Book Review

I began the year with a review of a collection of Shirley Jackson’s previously uncollected writings and now I’m ending it with a biography on her. 

Title: Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life 

Author: Ruth Franklin

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography 

About the book…

A biography on Shirley Jackson covering her life from childhood to death.

What I think…

Being a fan of Shirley Jackson I had been looking forward to this being published and was not at all disappointed, in fact considering it to be one of the best non-fiction books I read this year. It was well written, thorough, and I felt I learned a considerable amount about Jackson.

Franklin does a really nice job of balancing information about Jackson’s family life, social life, and her writing. Much of it, as with any writer, was intertwined, but it never seemed as though Franklin was choosing to focus on one aspect more than another. I found learning about the way her writing style progressed throughout her life, as well as the influences on it, to be especially interesting. 

I liked that Franklin addressed what was going historically at the time aside from the typical knowledge we associate with the decade giving background into why Jackson may have felt the way she did about certain issues that are touched on in her writing. There was also a portion near the start of the book that addressed Jackson’s family history and interviews with friends of Jackson and Hyman, as well as their children are included, which I felt, overall added to an understanding of her background. 

Having read three of her six novels it didn’t bother me much, but a warning for those who haven’t read much of Jackson, the endings of multiple novels (and some short stories) she wrote are discussed, so be prepared for spoilers especially in regards to The Haunting of Hill House. 

To sum it all up…  

Highly recommendable if you like Jackson’s writing and want to know more about her. ♥

On a Happy Roald Dahl Day!

Happy Roald Dahl day everyone! Today would have marked the 100^th birthday of this author of both adult stories and whimsical children’s books.

To celebrate, this week at work we’re doing a Roald Dahl craft with the option of making a collage postcard for either James and the Giant Peach or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.   

I had also really wanted to decorate the area craft time is held in and at some point during the past two weeks I got it into my head that I wanted to hang paper seagulls from the ceiling and have them attached to a giant paper peach. Then last Thursday I thought “why not recreate my postcard design on a larger scale?” and that’s what I did!

I cut out large newspaper buildings to represent New York and colored them, this was followed by cutting out a giant peach, and then went to work on sketching a pattern, cutting out, coloring, and gluing beaks on my seagulls.

Friday it all went on the wall and we have our very own James and the Giant Peach wall in the back corner of the children’s area!

The magically suspended seagulls are being held in place by invisible thread and push pins. Invisible thread, being pretty near actual invisibility, is terrible to work with, but very much worth the effort when you’re done!

While it has never been at the top of my list as a favorite Dahl book, I think James and the Giant Peach has moved up in the ranks a bit after this.

What are some of your favorite Dahl books or stories? ♥

(First three photos by me, last one by my co-worker)

On "The Millionaire and the Bard": A Book Review

Title: The Millionaire and the Bard: Henry Folger’s Obsessive Hunt for Shakespeare’s First Folio

Author: Andrea Mays

Genre: Non-Fiction

About the book… 

Andrea Mays gives a through look into Henry Folger’s obsession with Shakespeare folios and how it ultimately led to the creation of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. 

What I think… 

This is an excellent book!

I loved the first portion of the book, which is devoted to giving background about the Renaissance. This includes not only biographical information about Shakespeare and his plays, but the general running of the theatres, who would have attended the plays, and information about some of the actors. It then goes into what is known about the printing history of the first folio (as well as other not so official printings) and into, what I considered, a fascinating account of the process of printing something so large. This, in fact, was probably my favorite part of the book. 

The later portion about the Folgers’ acquisitions, was also quite interesting (although not quite so much as the first part, in my opinion). I really liked how Mayes went into detail about how Folger’s work life affected his collecting and the role his wife took in cataloguing the collection as it continued to grow. Getting bits and pieces on the background of Standard Oil Company, also gave a good understanding about the economics of the time, as well as a look into what Folger was like as a business man. 

There were a few parts that were somewhat tedious to read as they were more listings of the folios and their prices than about the items and what he went through to get them. Overall, though, they were well integrated into the text and very informative. 

To sum it all up… 

A great read for those who are bibliophiles, enjoy Shakespeare, or are interested in either the Renaissance or certain aspects of big business! ♥

On a Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss!

...and not one, but two outfits and a bag to celebrate!

Last year to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday I had plans to make a skirt with a fabric printed with the goldfish from The Cat in the Hat (first discovered when making a book cart cozy with Oh, the Places You’ll Go! fabric), but it didn’t happen. Fast-forward to the last two months and as I’m preparing to actually make the skirt, I get bitten by a Dr. Seuss fabric bug.

I go to buy fabric for a bag lining and I end up with half yards of two more The Cat in the Hat prints with plans to make a bag. Buying underlining for the hem of my goldfish skirt, they have fabric with the Cat on it. After a night of considering, I decide clearly I was meant to make a blouse and I go back to get some. And guess what? I actually got all three items done in time!

The goldfish skirt is made from my most favorite Simplicity 3773 and I wore it yesterday. First, I must say I will never be doing scallops on a hem of this measurement again! Ever! It took me over an hour to get them cut out, since I accidentally put four per skirt panel instead of my planned three (why it’s bad to sew when you’re tired, but at least it was a mistake that looks good!). Then the underling took me three hours to get positioned and sewn on by hand. With the exception of forgetting to put interfacing in the waistband, everything else went smoothly.

Next is the bag. I drafted the pattern myself and opted to use both of the fabrics. The strap I topped with two ribbons.

The blouse was super quick to make (made last night, in fact), since all it required was stitching up the shoulder and side seams, hemming the bottom and sleeves, and folding over the top to make a casing to slip ribbon into. I cinched it as the waist with the bow belt from my favorite dress (conveniently with only one bow end, much like the Cat’s bow tie). 

Version 3

I also made a button this morning as a finishing touch.

Happy birthday to Dr. Seuss!!!

This cat will absolutely not wear a hat. Not in a house, not with a mouse...

 ♥   ♥   ♥

On "Old Mr. Flood": A Book Review

Title: Old Mr. Flood

Author: Joseph Mitchell 

Genre: Fiction, Short Story

About the book… 

This book is comprised of three installments written by Joseph Mitchell for The New Yorker in the 1940’s about Hugh Flood, a man in his 90’s, who knows everything about the Fulton Fish Market and isn’t afraid to tell everyone his opinions on life.  

What I think… 

I’m not sure why I picked this book up in the first place, but I’m glad I did and I became quite eager to delve into it when I found where it had originally been published. 

It has the interesting aspect to it of being journalistic. While I’m generally one who favors long winded authors, Mitchell’s style of short, concise sentences really makes this book stand out and gives you a good impression of the time period he’s writing about. His use of detailed description in some cases could be seen as overdone, but it is tactfully used in such a way that you get the feeling of reading a travel brochure for some place pleasant instead of being overwhelmed by it. 

The stories themselves, while simple, are entertaining. Mitchell’s characters are all very realistic, which, as the forward in the edition I read points out, is because they are based on a combination of real people (including the author himself) and experiences. Mr. Flood himself, with the claim to live to be 115 by eating fish and drinking, is quite quirky and Mitchell does not fail to fully develop his title character. 

I would definitely be willing to try some his other works. 

To sum it all up… 

This book is probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoyed it for its writing style and the interesting characters. I would recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of the fiction published in The New Yorker during the 40’s. ♥

On “Miracle on 34th Street”: A Book Review

Between a slew of essay writing and then being busy with a ton of Christmas crafting, I almost didn’t get my last review of the year up in time! 

Title: Miracle on 34^th Street

Author: Valentine Davies 

Genre: Fiction, Christmas

About the book…

The elderly Kris Kringle believes he’s Santa Claus, but not everyone is willing to agree with him and, in fact, some even think he’s insane. He’s out to change this, though, starting with Doris Walker and her daughter, Susan, touching the hearts of people everywhere. Published in 1947, alongside the classic 1947 movie, which Davies wrote the original story pitch for, starring Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, and Natalie Wood.   

What I think… 

Having such a fondness for the movie, I was really looking forward to reading this story this year and it didn’t disappoint. It’s fairly similar to the movie with little differences here and there, none which really stand out all that much or alter the overall story line, so it’s exactly what you’d expect if you’ve seen the movie.

It was conveniently short, my 6 1/2 by 4 inch copy is only 117 pages, making it easy to squeeze in during spare moments. It was also well written, which keeps it moving quickly.    

I found myself agreeing with a number of points about the topic of commercialism, which I thought was interesting coming from a late 40’s perspective and still incredibly relatable to in a number of ways.

To sum it all up… 

The perfect novella to fit in between present wrapping, baking, and all the craziness that comes with the holiday season. 

Thank you for joining me in my year of classic Hollywood themed reviews!♥

On Displaying Edgar Allan Poe

This past week marked the 166^th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s death, which was October 7, 1849. I happen to be a big fan of Poe and generally get the urge to read him as the days grow shorter and the weather grows colder.

Fortunately, my co-worker likes Poe just as much as do and over the past five years we’ve done three Poe’s Parlor displays (yes, we’re that fond of it and I am perfectly willing to claim it as my favorite) each time adding a few more things referencing the works of this master writer. While we’re not doing one this year, I see no reason not to revisit those we have done.

The first year we had some beautiful blue paper for the background. At this point we only had a small number of things referencing his stories and poems.

Excuse the glare, these cases are right next to the door and difficult to photograph.

Then came the second time, in which no perfect parlor paper could be found and we went dark. 

A few shadows joined Poe's parlor.

As you can see this background has some eyeballs peering out, not ideal for a sophisticated parlor, but it was relatable to one of my favorite of Poe’s stories “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether”.

The raven isn't the only one watching...

Last year deciding the eyeballs to be unacceptable, I managed to patch over some with some of the remaining background and the framed picture conveniently covered one of the upper ones.

There are about 11 or 12 references to Poe’s works in this last display (including the afore mentioned “Tarr and Fether” eyes-you just can't them since they're on the side). How many can you name?

♥ ♥ ♥