Book lust.

It's crazy to think people "style" their books, but sometimes the execution is quite clever.

More HERE.

New books.

It's almost Christmas (Think about it. I kinda almost really is.) and you know what that means: publishers think this is when they will get you to spend $50 on some coffee table fantasy. And a lot of us will, so here's your roundup:



Italian Touch I am dying to get this. Rumor has it that Anna Dello Russo's house is featured. Fashion people have sexier homes than interior design people, so that should be fun to flip through.






Miss Elle Decor's new book, Style and Substance. When is Elle Decor bad? Never. So this should be pretty god as long as there aren't too many re-runs of stuff we have already seen in the magazine. (What are the odds? Slim, I imagine.)





THIS one seems like a mash note to socialites no one cares about anymore now that people realized they bought their houses with fake money, etc etc. I am a big "no" on this one, but it's the follow-up to last year's 20-pound Hamish Bowles celebration of lives you and I will never, ever, ever have, and, well, since it's my duty to report this kind of style/design stuff to you, here it is. If you want smug Tom & Giselle staring at you on your bookshelf, that's your business.



HueWill you be buying it?





And if Kelly's blast from the 80s past is too much for you (or me), you could get THIS. Kasler's work is the visual equivalent of realizing you still have two more Vicodin pills from your recent injury, taking the day off of work, washing one of them down with a glass of red wine and napping leisurely in the afternoon. Or something like that. And I mean that in the best way.

I kind guess that's it. Have I missed any worth writing about here?

Kindle.

I've really wanted one, but couldn't think of a reason I really, really needed it. But as I've been trying to figure out how I will pack everything I need for three weeks in Italy into one 22" carry-on backpack (yes, it's true), I've been crossing some books off my packing list. And if I only pack four books, two will certainly be finished by the time I land in Milan. That's just not going to work.

So I ordered a Kindle today. It helps that they just lowered the price. (Although at $299, it's still not exactly cheap). Thanks to Amazon Prime, I will have it tomorrow (love that part). I've started stocking up on new Kindle books.The amazing thing is that you can also download a Kindle app for your iPhone, and you can read the books you buy on either your Kindle or your iPhone and each device will remember what page you are on, and you can pick up where you left off on either device. It's SICK. The whole thing is so totally sick I can hardly stand it. I can't wait! Several people at work have a Kindle and they all love it and they all say they read more than ever now that they have a Kindle. I still love the fact that you don't need to connect it to your computer to download new books. It's totally wireless. It's totally bananas, is what it is.

I am so very excited. Now if Amazon can get more books to $7 (most are $9.99), and if they can allow you to add Kindle books to your Amazon wishlist (the best workaround that I have figured out is to just click the "Try It Free" sample button (which sends the first few pages to either your Kindle or your iPhone, if you have downloaded the application) and then you can keep those as a working list of what you might want to buy.

So far I have added On The Road (the scroll edition), The Corrections (I never did read that...), The Tropic of Cancer, Never Let Me Go (REALLY excited to read that one), Housekeeping, and The Day of the Locust.

Blogging is great (both writing one, and reading other blogs.... and trust me, I read a LOT of them...), but my addiction to Google Reader may be rotting my brain. Hopefully a few weeks in the sun with Henry Miller and Kazuo Ishiguro will do my brain some good.

Do you have a Kindle? Are you glad you got it? Regrets? Tips? Complaints?

Bookish.

New books.

I can feel a book binge coming on, and here are a few I am considering.


Creative Space: The Urban Homes of Artists and Creatives



Glamour: Making it Modern




Easy Elegance: Creating a Relaxed, Comfortable and Stylish Home





The Way We Live With the Things We Love




Taschen's New York





New London Style





Weekend Retreats

Loving this book.

Domestic Art: Curated Interiors

City gardens.

Loving this book.

City Gardens: Creative Ideas for Small Spaces



Garden books are either:
1) Too plant-focused
2) Too suburban & bland in terms of design and layout
3) Too dreamy and unreal, like, "Fancy-Ass Gardens of Europe"

This one is just right. A small book, but full of good ideas for people with in-city lots. Every idea here is elegant and sharp. No crap.