On “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”: A Book Review

Okay, so admittedly this really is a short story, but as it has been published on its own, I’m considering it suitable for a book review because otherwise this month’s review would be on either a children’s book or an American noir book, neither a genre I really want to write on at the moment. And with that, on to the review…

About the book...
Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1922, this is certainly an unusual story of aging. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” opens on the advent a birth, however it is no ordinary birth in that Benjamin Buttons is born an old man and for what reason no one knows. To further add to his unusual start in life, it is soon apparent that he is aging backwards, slowly growing younger and leading to a life filled with experiences both common and uncommon to the average being.

What I think…
As someone who has long been inclined to liking stories involving time travel, anomalies, and, overall, anything involving some sort of manipulation of time, for me this one falls into the category of being a rather good one. One of the main things that stands out about it is how thought provoking it is on the subject of aging. It really makes you think about the ageing process in general, and the way we perceive ourselves at each age, in addition to the way others perceive us.~~It would have been nice had this been turned into a novel, but at the same time I almost feel that were it any longer it would have lost the poignancy coming from its pace and the way that Benjamin reacts to ageing backwards.~~As far as comparing this to any of Fitzgerald’s other works, I can’t give any opinion as it’s been over four years since I readThe Great Gatsby and the other short story I read by him has completely escaped me at the moment.

To sum it all up...
While I like “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, I can see that it might not be a story for everyone. It is something that would probably be better suited for fans of Fitzgerald, fantasy lovers, and those who enjoy a quirky, yet touching, tale. ♥

On Searching For a Missing Shoe

Every once in awhile it seems as though a shoe escapes from a pair and when this happens one has to do a bit of searching to relocate it.

First one pokes about a bit under the bed with their foot hoping it really hasn’t removed itself all that far from the edge. Finding nothing, a false resignation sets in that one is mistaken and that perhaps the shoe really was not under the bed with its match, but is for some reason in another part of the house. After searching the entire house and failing to find it, one must admit that it indeed must be under the bed.

Upon this conclusion, one finds oneself down on hands and knees looking beneath the bed with a flashlight, revealing the shoe to have mysteriously made its way to a spot more than a bit out of a range easily reachable. While a broom handle could easily remedy the situation, the decision is made that a gallant effort to reach the shoe without it is in order first!

Lying on the floor and stretching one’s arm past the other shoes and the various odds and ends which have gathered over time, it becomes apparent that one’s arms are not quite so long as one believes them to be. From here a steady and careful process of inching forward occurs in great effort to grab the shoe, in addition to avoiding the embarrassing situation of becoming trapped under the bed. After what seems to be an infinite amount time passing, the shoe is at last reached and one reverses the inching process.

Finally, with shoe in hand, one emerges covered in dust bunnies, but is successful none-the-less. Now, if only one were able to find where the first shoe now is.♥

On What a Lot of Vintage Things!

While my intention for today’s post (and the last post, for that matter) was to write about searching for a missing shoe, this week has been filled with a number of vintage finds and I thought it would be fun to share them with my wonderful readers.

On Thursday I went to the antique store and then the thrift store. At the antique store I found only a somewhat unusual leaf and flower pin, but found a treasure trove awaiting me at the thrift store!

 

Next to the flower pin is my darling new old tiger pin ($2), which I saw shortly after walking in the thrift store. It was much too cute not to come home with me!

 

Having wanted a pair of white gloves for awhile I was quite pleased to find these ones by Hansen in perfect shape and size. I noticed the scarves (which never seem to be in the same place twice, they just float around the store) when I was in line to pay and thought that this cheerful watermelon hued one merited getting out of line.

After having found the gloves, I had wandered over to a counter where they had some vintage booklets in a basket and found this Learn How Book published by The Spool Cotton Company in 1941.  It is not in the best of shape with a detached and ripped cover, but it is filled with lovely pictures inside.

 

Found, but not pictured were a high waist red sweater with a back zipper and a blue and white cardigan, both which have a vintage-y look (you’ll be seeing them later), a large ziplock bag packed with lace, a few yards of pink textured cotton, and, just in time for the new Wearing History overall pattern, five yards of denim.

Over the course of the week, I also came across these wonderful books in our used book sale at work. The first bunch is from the California State Series (textbooks). The history ones were published in 1956 and the one on machines in 1967.

And to conclude my vintage finds for the week are these tiny cookbooks from 1959 with a plethora of delightfully odd recipes.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! ♥

On Upcoming Sewing Plans and Ideas

With warmer weather headed our way, lately I have been very happily perusing vintage summer wear patterns and, to my great delight, earlier this month happened upon a wonderfully inexpensive 1956 McCall’s 3732 blouse set pattern. As you can see from the photograph there are three different versions, all of which I am eager to make: back buttoning with a tab in front, front buttoning with pointed collar, and front buttoning with a peter pan collar.

As you can also see, I have some fabrics picked out for my marvelous pattern. The red heart print was originally planned for another blouse pattern, but I think it is much better suited for this one. I also wanted to use the yellow fabric for another blouse (photo to come soon) only to find that there wasn’t quite enough. As for the pinkish-purple fabric…it’s a reproduction mid-century modern print from the Victoria and Albert Museum! This was a surprise to me as I rarely look at the names on the selvage when I’m in the store and what a pleasant one it was at that for me to have chosen it with a 50’s blouse in mind! Unfortunately, as to what exactly in the museum the print was based on there is no indication either on the fabric or anywhere I’ve looked online, although I intend to keep searching since I would certainly love to know.

At the same time I bought the 50’s reproduction fabric I also bought these three.

The green floral print I actually already had some of, but not quite enough to make a complete clothing item from, so hopefully now I have at least the amount necessary for a simple skirt or maybe a even a jumper. Then there’s the red, white, and blue flower print that I think I might use for a 60’s sleeveless blouse if I can get through the process of grading down a pattern size. The cherry print, on the other hand, I cannot make up my mind about. Having only bought three yards of it and it being rather thin, I am a bit limited as to what I can do with it and because of that I do want to make sure I pick something I’ll absolutely love. First I thought I might make it into one of the blouses from the above pattern. Then I decided that it might look cute if I used it for something with slightly puffed sleeves (Combine the blouse pattern with my McCall's shirtwaist dress pattern sleeve, perhaps?). A playsuit also crossed my mind, once again, though, the fabric is a bit thin and probably would be better suited for just a top.  So many options! It just seems to be one of those prints with a lot of possibilities that I would happily use for about half the vintage patterns I own!

Anyway, in the coming months you will certainly be seeing some blouses popping up in my sewing posts and, if I can ever decide on what I want to make, a cherry print something-or-other.♥