~ late-blooming puffs of peony that make me smile with their voluptuousness. I actually took this picture before I went to South Africa in July but as I was going through my photographs this weekend, I enjoyed them all over again and that made me thankful for living in an age when I can afford to just take a digital snap of my weekly flowers.
~ a moment of perfect understanding; a look and a smile shared with a stranger as we passed on the tow path. I love it when this happens, don't you? No words necessary.
~ chocolate refrigerator squares. I know this is something that even a complete bungler in the kitchen like me should be able to make but why would I when Marks & Spencer make such a perfect version? Truly melt-in-the-mouth-rich-but-light-yumminess.
~ some lovely feedback from a colleague, someone who I've recently had reason to work with more closely than before. It reminded me that what we do can make a positive difference and when we work together, towards a common end, even more so.
~ Amazon. If as a child I'd known that I might live in a world where the biggest book shop in the world was literally at my fingertips, I don't think I could have dreamed of anything better. I still love to go in to a proper bookshop and browse the stacks, breathe in the air full of all that smell of new print on paper*, but oh how absolutely thrilled I am to press a few buttons and as if by magic have the book bundle appear at my door. It delights me every time.
*I'm one of those people who hopes as long as we can continue to produce sustainable forests, we never fully move away from having books in paper form. Nothing beats the smell and heft of a book in the hand for pleasure. However, because of all the travelling I do and how quickly I read, I have been considering buying an e-reader like a Kindle, so that I can economically (in terms of size, cost and convenience) carry a small library with me. Does anyone have any thoughts to share about this? Have you used one? Would you recommend it? Or not?
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17 comments:
I would never want to contribute to society moving in that direction. A girl at work has one and reads during her lunch with it. I can understand the convience but just can't do it. deb :)
what a perfectly lovely list..I dont know what the chocolate squares are but they would get thumbs up for me!!
i need a paper and pages though...
Such a lovely list of delights. Amazon, for certain, tops my list as well. Also a Book Of Paper gal, but my bestest buddy has a Kindle and loves it. An am injury makes it hard for her to hold a book but the Kindle is lighter. At first she was uncertain but now prefers it over a "real" book. To each their own!
I can do no better than quote Giles (played by favourite actor Anthony Head) in Buffy the Vampire episode "I Robot" he ruminates on why books are better than computers: "Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower or a whiff of smoke can bring up experiences long forgotten. Books smell... musty and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer is... it has no texture, no context. It's there and then it's gone. If it's to last, then the getting of knowledge should be tangible. It should be, um... smelly."
I make no apology for the fact that I'm a real died in the wool Buffy nerd! :-)
LOVE the list!! All favourites of mine too :o) Just because you have a kindle to travel with doesn't mean you have to give up the real thing. Living like you do, both can have perfect places in that life. I know how much you read and you can't always take that many books with you ;o) Love you, D xxx
wonderful list, Beauty! Amazon is so convenient and realiable but I like to support our little indie bookstore as much as possible so I go to amazon and look up what I might fancy and then go to the indie store and order it from them...usually more expensive but worth it to keep them alive.
Pleased about you receiving positive feedback- you should always have that, if not, it is the feedbaker's fault...
wish you were here for some refrigerator fudge...my failed attempts always go to the fridge to harden...and they are always failed attempts. We do not have a M&S- bummer...
So, when may I expect you?
Your list is divine. I feel the same way about Kalahari.net. So often I'm surprised that they have a book that even some of my friends in the states can't find. Recently I ordered Etcetera by Sybilla Court (which was difficult to find for a while). If you havn't got it already you will love it Kendalee.
I adore peonies, books and Amazon too! My mom has a kindle and really enjoys how easy it is to use and that it is compact. Hope you are having a lovely week. ♥
Yes to everything on your list. Mark and Spencers must be wonderful. I keep seeing references to them by UK Bloggers. Anything chocolate anytime, I say.
And I love the book lovers' quotes. I hope even if paper and ink go the way of hand written letters that we still will keep books on our shelves just to love. Yay, Amazon!
Oh yes, I need the feel of a book in my hand!
A dear friend has a Kindle and swears by it though... I think it definitely has a place while traveling.
to kindle of not to kindle...that has been my question lately too! if you get one, do write about it so i can hear your thoughts!
I know what you mean about amazon, especialy I read lots of us and uk books that are not available in France and it is so much cheaper to get them that way so I LOVE AMAZON :) and as you say, it always feels like i am receiving a present as for the e-book, i am not thinking about it, i like the texture and holding books too much for that and feel i spend enough time (all day) in front of a screen :)
Monica, my book club organizer, used to share my aversion to e-books. But she succumbed and adores her Kindle. I'm still afflicted with feelings of aversion and worry that the sensual pleasures of books will be lost forever.
"bungler in the kitchen"... if that isn't the best description of an inept cook like me i don't know what is!!
In the weekend I saw a photo of a NZ writer, pictured next to her impressive floor to ceiling bookcase and her imported writing desk. I excitedly showed hubby. Now we are going to follow her look and one day have a similar room. I'd love an antique desk to write my novel on. Wouldn't that be cool. Although I do accept that waiting until I find the perfect desk is a poor attempt (and an expensive one at that) to delay writing!
A great list. I prefer printed books, but I secretly covet an e-reader too. This is basically because I find many books too heavy to read in bed - my wrists seem to not cope so well. Of course, I have a particular way of reading in bed - I have to lie FLAT with the blankets pulled up right under my chin and then I kind of wiggle my hands out at an odd angle to hold the book. Also, L'Usband constantly complains about my bedlight being on too late - so I am hoping a Kindle might solve some of these problems.
As a child I waited so anxiously for the Scholastic Book Club order forms we received in class! If Amazon had existed back then I would have really been giddy! I can't give up the real book experience, the smell, the feel of the paper, the heft of the book. It's all too good. I am considering getting my husband a Kindle though.
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