Bookish Acquisitions

I have been quite the good, responsible girl lately: I have abstained--and that is surely the only word for it--from purchasing scads of books. I realize that, if I followed my natural bent, I would need a separate building--and a large one--to house my collection. Oh, and I would be parlously close to bankruptcy. As such, I try to tether the passion as best I can. Yet, sometimes a book-addict must let loose. These are some recent acquisitions.

Deciding the order in which to read a new crop of books is almost more fun than choosing which ones to buy. It is a delicate, delicious process of anticipation; often it is also one of elimination. It helps to know which one to save for last. In this case, Simon Callow's Orson Welles Volume 2 Hello Americans, is the clear winner: it will be the last unread, sitting alluringly on my night-stand, impatiently awaiting its turn. The others will be read in rotation, constantly giving way one right after the other, a few chapters at a time. Perhaps, after a certain exciting or thoughtful passage, one will surge past the rest in my affections. For now, as I am in the early, heart-thumping stages of discovering all three, that shall remain to be seen.

Top Left: Proust at the Majestic The Last Days of the Author Whose Book Changed Paris by Richard Davenport-Hines (BLOOMSBURY)-Proust remains the King of pliant, serpentine, evocative language.

Top Center: She & Him Volume One-Zooey Deschanel's quirky, folky voice and thoughtful, simple and literary lyrics are my ideal accompaniment to reading.

Top Right: The Mammoth Book of Private Lives Edited by John E. Lewis (CARROLL & GRAF)-I have an insatiable curiosity about the inner drives of creatives and intellectuals.

Front Middle: Orson Welles Volume 2 Hello Americans by Simon Callow (PENGUIN BOOKS)- Volume 1 was superb.

Front Bottom: The Queen Mother The Official Biography by William Shawcross (ALFRED A. KNOPF)-Although I was sent this by mistake, it has already proven itself a keeper.

Vintage Lovelies-Vanity Fair Camisole

I purchased this a few weeks ago because of its lovely, sherbet-esque colour and edging of lace.It is delectable yet with an ever-so bad girl aura, something that you could picture the sultry Dorothy Malone donning--then doffing,off camera,of course--in a late 'fifties film.

Although the cami itself dates to that period, its condition is perfect.I love the recycled aspect of vintage clothing but only when they are of well-preserved quality:snagged,soiled or otherwise damaged pieces are simply junk.ETSY is a great place for discovering vintage and upcycled/repurposed treasures if you are in solid command of your clothing size and body type.

I also have no great love or patience for sorting through disorganized racks of tacky clothing, which is the bane of many a vintage store.Last weekend, my mom and I hit a few such places in our downtown walk.Housewares,books, albums, artwork and all manner of knickknacks always seem well-organized in second hand establishments. There is, unfortunately, rarely a guiding hand to be found in the laying out of the clothes-racks.It is a true treat indeed to happen upon a vintage retailer who has the keenness and sensibility to merchandise clothing in an attractive and accommodating manner.

On the above shopping frolic with my mom, I would have been deliriously happy if I had needed to fill up a suitcase to start my new life on a Fundie Compound (floor-length, Peter Pan-collared dresses, anyone?).Instead, it was ridiculous sans sublimity.Time-wasting excursions like this--minus the appreciated bonding time with my mother--make me turn to Etsy more and more for vintage clothing needs and wants.

CAMISOLE: Vintage 1950's by Vanity Fair-from STELMADESIGNS

Banned From Books: A Reading List a Mile Long, Part I

I received the Early Spring 2009 Daedalus Books catalogue in the post yesterday. A book catalogue in my hands is, ordinarily, a thing at once dangerous and heavenly: it is porn, complete with alluring, tasty pictures.It is my ritual to grab a pen, throw myself into a chair, and hastily circle anything that catches my fancy or piques my intellect.The arc of my interests is wide, and ever-growing: there are many blurbs touched with ink by catalogue's end.Occasionally,when my curiosity gains the upper hand, I will add up the cost of every circled item. The figure is always embarrassing, even with a discount purveyor like Daedalus.

Even as the no-books challenge is winding down, I am still trying to quell and quash my desire--I will stop shy of calling it a need--to read, read, read! In lieu of picking up a book, I picked up that catalogue and marked my desires with a half-empty black pen, which is now drained and dry. Below is a sampler of some of the delectables, oddities and inspirations I found.

1-Bugatti Queen In Search of a French Racing Legend by Miranda Seymour (RANDOM HOUSE) I am a sucker for biographies of independent,odd and accomplished female souls.

2-Black Barty The Real Pirate of the Caribbean by Aubrey Burl (SUTTON) I have a sick fascination for all things piratical, historically speaking.

3-Eating with the Victorians C. Anne Wilson, ed. (SUTTON)I am a Victoriana nut and I love food. This tome seems like the perfect blend of sociological commentary ( food says loads about a people and culture) and cookbook. Yum!

4-Faces of Science by Mariana Cook. Intro by Gerard Piel (NORTON) While I am not a science fiend, I do find the minds and lives of scientists to be enthralling curiosities ( hello, Johannes Kepler). I also love photography.

5-Penicillin Man: Alexander Fleming and the Antibiotic Revolution by Kevin Brown (SUTTON) SEE ABOVE.

6-A Theatrical Feast in New York by Elizabeth Sharland (SUTTON) How, and where, famous thespians and playwrights pass the time before and after opening night.

7-DEAR FRIENDS American Photographs of Men Together 1840-1918 by David Deitcher (ABRAMS) Doesn't the title say it all? And, no, it is not erotica, at least not in any modern sense.

8-Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. Ralph Steadman, illus. (VINTAGE) Sometimes only Gonzo will do.

9-Wordsworth:A Life by Juliet Barker (HARPER PERENNIAL) My gluttonous yearning for biographies of writers of every stripe will never be sated. Bonus points if it gives good coverage of his famous sister Dorothy,as well.

10-Dolce Vita Style by Jean-Pierre Dufreigne (ASSOULINE) Anyone who has ever seen even 5 minutes of the Fellini film understands why it merits a book such as this.

Painting:The Reader by Jean-Honore Fragonard

Hello Gorgeous

Hello, Spring! I am ready for you, oh so ready for you! My pale legs are ready, too, and my arms are asking to be bared. My haircut is new and my makeup is seasonal. My dreams have been of warm weather since Winter's onset, all those months ago: months of such cold and wind that time itself seemed frozen.

While my soul is singing, a couple of hold-outs have yet to fall in line: shoes and wardrobe. I will not be performing a wholesale massacre of my clothes but it is time for sweaters and long-sleeves, tights and boots to go into hibernation. I have a wish-list of covetables a mile long, all of which are windows to Spring and Summer.

With so many options, covering every need, want and wild whimsy, I am starting small. I made my first warm-weather purchase today, bought off of Etsy. Strictly speaking, as it is a belt, it is not season-specific. Yet it is white satin-- which fairly screams that the weather has turned.

It is vintage (old=environmentally friendly, don't you know), darling, versatile and, the greatest lure of all, be-bowed. One of the upcoming additions to 1000 Follies will be bits about my personal style so you will, doubtless, see it a number of times. Until then, here is a photo of it from the Etsy site of the seller, ERNGRN. Many thanks go out to her for sacrificing such a lovely, happy piece. If I was her, I would definitely have kept it!!

PHOTO: ERNGRN (LOVE GRANNY) on Etsy.Click on the photo to go straight to her shop.