Images from Fabsugar, via J. Crew Aficionada.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Isle of Skye
J. Crew took their models to the Isle of Skye for a photo shoot a couple of years ago, and I've been fascinated with the location ever since. It's just so unbelievably beautiful! I really do miss the landscape of the British Isles. There are much fewer trees and you can see a lot farther than you can in the American Northeast.
1. Old Man of Storr at dawn by Marco Boekestijn; 2. Quiraing, Isle of Skye by Marie-Laure Even; 3. Ramasaig by Julie Izon-Williams; 4. Nest point by Julie Izon-Williams; 5. Sweet little thatched cottages at Elgol by karenwithak; 6. Down the valley by faroit; 7. Isle of Skye by Joe Koszary; 8. Isle of Skye by ntalka; 9. Isle of Skye by Ian McHenry.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Skellig Michael
Kuriositas has an amazing post on Skellig Michael, site of a 1,400-year-old monastery off the coast of Ireland. The monastery was occupied for about 600 years before being abandoned. The monks occupied beehive-like stone structures and had an extremely austere, isolated life.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Orange lipstick.
I had a dream a while ago that I was wearing some very bright, neon orange lipstick, and it looked amazing. I have no idea whether it would look as good in real life. I'm terribly ignorant when it comes to knowing which colors go with which complexions and hair colors. I know that Tom and Lorenzo are strongly against matching your dress to your hair color, but what about hair and lip color? And what if they aren't really the exact same color? Anyway, I did manage to find a picture of a redhead wearing orange lipstick, so apparently this combination isn't fatal, at least not immediately so. Maybe I'll try it someday.
Hannah and Her Sisters
I saw "Hannah and Her Sisters" for the first time last night and liked it, despite Woody Allen's thinly-veiled resentment toward Mia Farrow that was evident in pretty much all of her scenes. Design Sponge has a pretty cool "Living In" feature on the movie that you can see here.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Book reviews: 2011
Today it occurred to me that I might do something with the book list I've been compiling - like write reviews. Now, if I start writing a medium-length review, it will turn into something long and epic, so I've decided to keep them short and try to do as many as possible - perhaps even all of them. For now I'll start with the first five books I read this year.
1. The Human Web by J. R. and William McNeill
Honestly, I don't remember much about this book. The authors were obviously trying to create a Jared Diamond-like sweeping view of historical change, but they didn't do it as well or as memorably. I do recall that the epilogues were nicely written; each of the authors wrote one and offered his own perspective on the material. I enjoyed reading it, but it was really nothing special.
2. The Book Before Printing by David Diringer
Now this was something truly unique. I was amazed at this author's command of the different techniques used to make scrolls and books. This is an enormous topic, and this book really immerses you in it. The only drawback is that it's not really accessible to readers who aren't already into this sort of thing. It's dry and very technical - but that's also what I liked about it.
3. Hard Times by Studs Terkel
This is considered the quintessential oral history text, and I can see why. It includes a nearly overwhelming range of perspectives on the Depression, all told in the voices of the people who experienced it. You might expect, after reading the book, to know more about the Depression, but I actually felt like I knew less, simply because so many of the experiences within it conflicted with one another. Pose any question, and the answer will differ depending on who you ask.
4. Vernacular Architecture by R. W. Brunskill
This was a fun book to read after seeing so many old, lovely houses in England and wondering about them. It's really a field guide, meant to be taken along and used to classify architecture much like you might classify an animal into different species and genera. It also has some lovely pictures and diagrams.
5. The Black Death by Philip Ziegler
This book was very powerful. I'd read books about the Black Death before, but this was definitely the best. I loved the way it was structured, following the plague's spread from the east and then to southern Europe, where it quickly disseminated northwards - it was like seeing the whole thing unfold at the time it happened, but from the perspective of an omniscient observer.
1. The Human Web by J. R. and William McNeill
Honestly, I don't remember much about this book. The authors were obviously trying to create a Jared Diamond-like sweeping view of historical change, but they didn't do it as well or as memorably. I do recall that the epilogues were nicely written; each of the authors wrote one and offered his own perspective on the material. I enjoyed reading it, but it was really nothing special.
2. The Book Before Printing by David Diringer
Now this was something truly unique. I was amazed at this author's command of the different techniques used to make scrolls and books. This is an enormous topic, and this book really immerses you in it. The only drawback is that it's not really accessible to readers who aren't already into this sort of thing. It's dry and very technical - but that's also what I liked about it.
3. Hard Times by Studs Terkel
This is considered the quintessential oral history text, and I can see why. It includes a nearly overwhelming range of perspectives on the Depression, all told in the voices of the people who experienced it. You might expect, after reading the book, to know more about the Depression, but I actually felt like I knew less, simply because so many of the experiences within it conflicted with one another. Pose any question, and the answer will differ depending on who you ask.
4. Vernacular Architecture by R. W. Brunskill
This was a fun book to read after seeing so many old, lovely houses in England and wondering about them. It's really a field guide, meant to be taken along and used to classify architecture much like you might classify an animal into different species and genera. It also has some lovely pictures and diagrams.
5. The Black Death by Philip Ziegler
This book was very powerful. I'd read books about the Black Death before, but this was definitely the best. I loved the way it was structured, following the plague's spread from the east and then to southern Europe, where it quickly disseminated northwards - it was like seeing the whole thing unfold at the time it happened, but from the perspective of an omniscient observer.
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