Fountains To Read By

Well folks the weather has finally started to feel spring like and I am stoked!  I get a few extra days off next week and am already planning all the wonderful outdoor places I want to read.  One of my favorite places to read is by fountains.  I love the sound, feel and smell of moving water.  Coupled with the fact that they are usually pretty accessible they make an ideal place to read.  Here are a few I would love to hunt down.

Cincinnati Main Library 

I really really just want to climb to the top and read

Budapest Hungry 

The fountain part mimics a turning page...so cool

Australia

I love the colors on this one

Chattanooga Public Library

Sleek, modern, classic

I will do my best to hunt down some interesting fountains, nooks, crannies and so forth to blog about in my local area.  Until then HAPPY READING EVERYBODY!

So Ready For Spring!

I am usually not a warm weather person but I am SOOOOOO ready for spring!  I am ready to read outside on nice days, to open all the doors and windows and let the spring showers refresh the house.  I am ready to break out my Jane Austen and Diana Wynn Jones (my go to spring authors).

 I am ready for color and farmers markets and waterfalls and discovering new nooks and crannies to read in.  I am ready to climb a tree and read in the branches, I am ready to go hunt down some new faeries and see if they have any new stories for me.  Bring on the Spring!!!!!

Towels For The Literary Inclined

Summer time!  Time to read at the beach, by the pool, on the porch and anywhere else I can stop for a few minutes.   Of course one needs a great towel to on as one reads, here are a few that let your fellow poolsiders know that you are serious about your beach reading :-)

Book Beach Towel

Lying on a stack of books makes quit the statement

Bibliophile Beach Towel

In  case anybody isn't sure on your stance on books

Alice In Wonderland Beach Towel

I'm mad, your mad, we're all mad about this beach towel

Jane Austen Beach Towel

Quotes about reading by one of my favorite authors

Shakespeare Insult Beach Towel

Not only literary, but very convenient when those people get a little too rowdy.

So now I need to go buy a whole ton of these so I always have the perfect towel to go with the perfect summer read!  Happy Reading Everybody!

Have A Seat

Sometimes you just need to sit on a bench and read for a few minutes.  Here are the most perfect places to do just that.

I kind of want to collect all of these and put them in my imaginary library garden!  Happy Reading Everybody!

Nostalgia For The Old Reading Days

I've been lucky enough to have some extra reading time last week, and it kind of makes me nostalgic for my younger years.  I miss the years that when I was done with homework and chores that I literally had nothing I had to do other then read.  My parents were big on limiting the TV and other screen time, leaving me a TON of time to read.  My best memories of this time of year are going to the library with the family, picking up a stack of books and racing home to finish chores.  I would then take advantage of the perfect weather to curl up in my Mamma's amazing backyard (which helping to create and upkeep was part of the chores I had to finish) on the big swing in the late afternoon/early evening.

The air was full of apple blossoms (or little green apples depending on what month it was), the ocean and growing things.  There was always a breeze and the mountain panorama completed the idyllic scene.  Now I know this all sounds a little to perfect, but there were seriously enough nights like this to stick very clearly in my mind.  Now to be fair, I still have an awesome reading chair by the porch doors that overlook an impossibly picturesque river AND I am now allowed to add wine to my reading drinks, so my reading time is still pretty awesome.  It just feels like now I have so many obligations and distractions...some of them my own fault (stupid Netflix, Xbox, and computer games!).  I think what I miss the most though is the sheer abandon that I had when I was younger, I could pick up a book and lose all track of time, not coming up for air until one of my parents or siblings hauled me to bed...where I usually continued reading.  Now, even when all my stuff is done and I am in one of my designated reading periods in the back of my mind real life tends to intrude.  I'm not complaining per say, just reminiscing...Happy Reading Everybody!

Time To Head Outside!

Ahhhh Spring is in the air and it is finally warm enough to head outside to read.  I love reading outside, the sun on my face, the fresh breezes through my hair, the smell of growing things everywhere, adds the perfect atmospheric touch to my spring reading.  Here are some other people/places who obviously agree with me :-)

Outdoor Library

This is the coolest idea ever...I guess I know the next thing on my literary bucket list!

Book Tree

I love the idea of being able to walk up to a tree and "pick" a book

Hollow Log Shelves

I love this mix of urban and nature and of course books!

Woodshelves

I love love love this, it's like a bookshelf is growing out of the ground

I see nothing wrong with that :-)

Now that I have added these outdoor libraries to by literary bucket list, I must be off to see if I can't find some books hidden in the trees.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Wandering Through The Woods

The weather has finally taken a turn for the better and to celebrate Hubbin took me on an epic hike today.  As we were walking along, many book related thoughts popped into my busy little brain (yes I think about books almost all the time).  Here are some of them...you know just for fun.

1)  As we were walking in 60 degree weather, the day after a huge ice/snow storm through the middle of the woods I was struck about how much it reminded me of the scene in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe where the White Witches curse is finally broken, winter is fading and spring has finally arrived.  Now to be fair, we only had about 4 weeks of extreme winter, not 100 years...but some days it sure felt like it.  As we were trying our darnedest not to slip on the mushy, icy, muddy ridges it struck me the incredible strangeness of having at least 3 inches of snow and ice on the ground, and wearing a t-shirt with no coat, I like to imagine as I stood in the sun that this is how the characters in the book felt, just a moment of comfort, warmth and contentment in the middle of a really hard situation.  Yeah I'm a dork.
2)  We say this couple with a really great idea that I want to steal.  It was a sheet/hammock type deal that they had tied between two trees to make a resting place to have a little snack.  I found this to be absolutely brilliant.  So many times we have been out in the middle of no where and all I want to do is pull out a book and read in this amazing environment...but I really don't feel like getting my hinney all soaked and dirty.  This is the most perfect solution, a light weight something or another that you can hang from a tree, or spread on the ground, or wherever it would work to cuddle up and read for a while.
3)  The longer we hiked, and the wetter I got, the longer list of books that I wanted to read was building up in my head.  I'm funny like that, I desperately want to be outside and doing things as much as humanly possible...but every time I do, it just reminds me of a book I want to read :-)  All things considered this is not a bad thing, it just makes me wish for more hours in the day to do both.
So that was my day.  I was wet, muddy and incredibly happy all day and once I'm done with this I can go read my books and be even happier.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Autumn Reading Is The Best

It's officially FALL!!!!!! Ok it's been Fall for a couple of days, but now it actually feels like it.  Now is the time I curl up in my reading chair with a big mug of cider, a snuggly blanket, and a good book.

Or, sometimes I put on my Hubbins big sweatshirt, grab a thermos of coffee, an old blanket and find a big pile of leaves to lean on while reading in the autumn sunshine.  Regardless of wether it is inside or out, I look foward to Autumn reading year round!

Book Garden

Hello All!  Mother's Day is just around the corner and since many of my memories of my Mamma include working in her numerous gardens, here are some idea's to add a literary twist to you garden.

Book Planters

A unique way to use old books

Book Bricks

These bricks add a unique twist to your garden

Literary Signpost

This DIY signpost is perfect for any literary garden

Alice In Wonderland Garden statues

These statues bring a bit of whimsy to the garden

Pond Book Nook

Of course no garden is complete without a perfect place to read!

Now everybody get out there and help your mothers in their garden, or kitchen, or studio or wherever it is these amazing ladies need us :-)  Happy Mothers Day to the bestest Mamma ever!

O. Henry Book

The weather is beautiful at the moment, making me want to get outside and explore.  This sculpture, which is part of a three piece set, is in honor of the author O. Henry

O. Henry Book Sculpture

O. Henry is famous for stories such as The Gift of the Magi which has been retold in many forms through out the years. I love artwork like this because it combines my love of books with my insatiable need to be out doors.

Happy Path

Here is my path to the ultimate happy

The Reader's Path

I bet it takes you to some amazing places!