Thursday, February 19, 2009

and here i thought classic was the only way to go...

People are evidently doing interesting things with bookshelves these days. I started out just wanting a simple picture of a bookshelf for this blog, because I was going to write about books again. Instead, my Google Images search turned up some photos that I just couldn't leave alone. (I think I might be doing some interior decorating in the near future...) Enjoy!

This one's actually a staircase bookshelf! (Want one? They're designed by Levitate Architects, based in London!)









How cool is this-- a cave bookshelf! What a perfect hideaway. (Especially if you're a little kid!)







This one's called the Gravity Bookshelf. It looks really cool... but I think it would drive me nuts. (I don't think it's avaliable commercially yet.)











This one, however, I might actually consider buying someday (I like traditional, personally). It's got such great, clean lines!










I like this Aluminum and Wood Bookshelf a lot, too. The curved front part gives it a very unique, modern look.










Here's a look that money can't buy: color-coding your books to create a rainbow on your shelves! (Credit goes to user chotda on Flickr for taking this photo.) This one's probably my favorite of the bunch.



Hope you enjoyed seeing these as much as I did!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Book Review: A Knot in the Grain

This is great for anyone who likes fairy tales or fantasy stories (especially girls, as the main characters in the stories are all women). Brought to you by the same author who wrote Beauty, Robin McKinley's five stories--including a Damar tale--are entertaining and well-written. This book is perfect for when you just want something lighthearted and fun, and contains a sneaky reference to Peter Dickinson in one of the stories!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!

...or Singles Awareness Day, or Kevin Costner Day, or whatever you celebrate instead... ;D

Sunday, February 1, 2009

this is cheating, but...

my dad wrote this, but i really wanted to share it with you. (he doesn't write often, but when he does, it makes you think.) you can find the original blog post here.

The Wake-Up Call - January 31, 2009

About three years ago, a friend at work stopped by my desk to tell me that he had a package for me out in his car. He didn’t want to bring it into the office, but thought it might be something helpful to me. He told me that he had found it helpful himself, and wanted to “share the wealth.”

We walked out to his car and he handed me a large paper grocery bag containing a box. He said it was mine to keep. He worried, thought, that I might not like it, and if I didn’t, I could do what ever I wanted with it. He didn’t want it back.

With that, he darted back into the office. I took the bag with the unopened box inside to my own car.

Being curious, I got into the car and took the box out of the bag. I opened the box. What ever was inside was surrounded by crumpled paper. Removing the packing materials, I finally discovered what was inside: a set of Christian books.

There was a book about God’s grace, two more about salvation, another about Christian marriage, as well as books on Paul, Joseph, and suffering; seven books in all.

My friend is an extremely reserved person, always very careful not to intrude or offend anyone. Giving me books like this, or even mentioning any topic like religion, is far outside his comfort zone. Yet, my spiritual condition was important enough to him to take the risk and to “share the wealth.”

“Wow! What a great friend!” I thought. But a second later, I was jolted upright by a razor-sharp reality: we had been good friends for over six years. I had been a Christian – a strong, rock-solid Christian, I thought – for far longer. Yet my friend didn’t know. I had never told him.

Worse yet, six years of observing me at work hadn’t let him in on the secret. In fact, he thought I had a need.

Evidently I did. Not for salvation, for I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior many years earlier. But I needed a wake-up call, with the reminder that all that I am and all that I do every day should point others to Jesus and reflect that I serve the one true Lord.

written by http://merechristianity.wordpress.com/

Monday, January 26, 2009

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

i want it...

I saw something awesome today at the store. It was a small chest-of-drawers shaped like a stack of very large books! The "spine" of each book opens up and becomes a drawer. The "books" weren't perfectly stacked either, they were somewhat lopsided (on purpose) to look like a real stack of books you might find anywhere. Isn't that just so perfect for me?? :D

Sunday, January 4, 2009

now launching...

If you know anything about me at all, you should know that I LOVE books. I eat, sleep, breathe books. (I read 300 a year.) Anyways, I've been wanting to write book reviews for a long time-- after all, I read so many, I ought to share that knowledge with others-- but I wasn't sure exactly how I'd go about doing that. I mean, the New York Times comes out with book lists, but many of those are just trash. Why not create my own list-- Marian's List? (Please visit the link for the complete list of recommended reading!)