My Stationery Round-Up: February

What a wonderful thing is the mail, capable of conveying across continents a warm human hand-clasp. 

-Author Unknown

Lovelies,

A few days ago, I decided to forego staying toasty indoors (utter madness since Toronto is absolutely freezing), went for Brunch at The Drake Cafe where I had their amazing chicken and waffles, and decided that today was the day I went stationery hopping! And boy did it brighten my spirits. Here is what I gathered:

First stop was The Paper Place on Queen Street. It is one of my favourite places in the city, they have such a noteworthy collection of paper goods that could make anyone's hearts soar. I find myself enchanted every time I visit and I highly recommend all to visit this place. 

That day, I picked up a couple of lovely things I needed: 

Shortly afterwards, I found myself in Koreatown and stumbled across two places which were relatively close to one another- Hanji and Mr. Pen.

Hanji greeted me with unique handmade paper and awe-inducing gifts. Upon entering the space, I was impressed that Yann Tiersen's score to Amelie was playing in the background. Combining one of my favorite scores with a room full of wonderful paper things was nothing short of fantastic. I was thrilled. What's more, after cashing in my purchases, they threw in a postcard as a gift. Can't complain.

 

My last stop was at Mr. Pen. It's a very cute atmosphere with a wall full of stickers and notecards. They had toys as well and I found myself picking up a couple of notecards as well as masking tape. A great place to pick up whimsical, yet practical items for your stationery needs.

 

Currently reading:

I was a huge fan of The Rosie Project, and was thrilled when I received this copy as a gift. Am currently on page 99 and already I have had a couple of laugh-out-loud moments on the train. I'm happy that the second book is on par with the first- I absolutely love the dynamic between Don and Rosie. I picture Benedict Cumberbatch as Don and Rose Byrne as Rosie- it would make a great film.

It's one of those reads where you don't want to the book to end: it's inevitable, yet you wish the book would go on as long as it could. 

It's just too damn good!

Until next time,

Jo

Book To Read on Valentine's Day Weekend

“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.” - John Green, The Fault In Our Stars

Lovelies,

It is absolutely horrific outside.I can't stand it: I'm mortified, petrified!
However, today is Valentine's Day! As a result, I thought it would be nice to share my favorite reads to that are fitting for this romantic weekend.
Wherever you are, have a wonderful afternoon. Be with your loved ones!

Oh, Kitty and Walter...I have lost count as to how many times I've read this book. It's heartbreaking, yet very beautiful at the same time. The film adaptation, starring Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, is worth watching. I loved the score, lovingly composed by Dario Marianelli (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice).

You may need a Kleenex or two.. John Keats' moving letters to the love of his life Fanny Brawne is pure, bright, and oh-so-very delicate. I made the mistake of reading this book on the train- I had tears in my eyes and  probably looked like a wreck by the time I reached my stop.All in all, a fantastic example of the written word.

What an incredible read this was. Set in a small village in the English countryside, we find ourselves besotted by the honorable Major Ernest Pettigrew and Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the shopkeeper from the village.Beautifully written, it's definitely worth adding to your library! A large cup of tea would pair wonderfully with this book.

Lastly, what's Valentine's Day weekend with out a bit of Austen?! 

"You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me forever." 

Enjoy!

2015 Classics Challenge

Lovelies, 

One of the things on my to-do list this year is to participate in the Classics Challenge! I came across this challenge first on my Tumblr, via Pretty Books where the goal is to read one classic title per month. The questions are as follows:

WHEN I Discovered This Classic
WHAT Makes It A Classic
WHY I Chose to Read It
WILL It Stay A Classic
WHO I’d Recommend It To

Here are some titles I recommend to help you get started. It is only a drop in the ocean of noteworthy classics out there: I do plan on reading them all- and then some others. Follow along!

“Never fear quarrels, but seek hazardous adventures.” 

Am currently watching BBC's The Musketeers on Netflix, so it's fitting that I go back to its original source!

 'My hour is come ... the clock of eternity is about to strike, but its knell must be unheard by mortal ears!'

 

“All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.” 

 

“The human race is a monotonous affair. Most people spend the greatest part of their time working in order to live, and what little freedom remains so fills them with fear that they seek out any and every means to be rid of it.” 

 

'Enterprises endowed with virtue and talent ... never pause or rest till they have reached the height of glory'

“It was pleasant to wake up in Florence, to open the eyes upon a bright bare room, with a floor of red tiles which look clean though they are not; with a painted ceiling whereon pink griffins and blue amorini sport in a forest of yellow violins and bassoons. It was pleasant, too, to fling wide the windows, pinching the fingers in unfamiliar fastenings, to lean out into sunshine with beautiful hills and trees and marble churches opposite, and, close below, Arno, gurgling against the embankment of the road.”

 It will definitely bring back memories of my travels in Florence, where I went this past autumn. A beautiful, surreal city. 

 

“He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”

"It was so hard that the pleasant waters of his little stream should be disturbed and muddied... that his quiet paths should be made a battlefield: that the unobtrusive corner of the world which been allotted to him... and all within it made miserable and unsound."

“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”

“Ah how shameless – the way these mortals blame the gods. From us alone they say come all their miseries yes but they themselves with their own reckless ways compound their pains beyond their proper share.”
The ultimate classic!

Happy reading!

Current Reads and Grace Kelly

Lovelies,

It has been a very cold couple of weeks here in Toronto- already I'm dreaming of warmer afternoons, summertime picnics, homemade lemonade...

In the meantime, I have my wonderful books to tide over- here are my current reads:

“Why, I wondered, did people seek out portrayals of the very experiences that, in real life, would send them mad with despair? Shouldn't art be an escape, a laugh, a comfort, a thrill?” 

I have gifted this book to a good friend of mine over the holidays and have a couple other family members reading this as well. The feedback is unanimous: it's a fantastic read, well-written, very touching, and heartbreaking at times. Highly recommend the read- perfect for book clubs as well.

If I can define this book in word, it would be: quirky. Quirky in a good way as the story is told in a way that's very much a cross between The Princess Bride and the Monty Python,  as it's lovingly remarked in the book description.
This book is also my book club's pick of the month (Matchbook Book Club). Being almost halfway through the book, I've a few laughs- who doesn't love a fun Arthurian tale with a humorous twist?

Beautiful words to take with you through today:

I love walking in the woods, on the trails, along the beaches. I love being part of nature. I love walking alone. It is therapy. One needs to be alone, to recharge one’s batteries.

-Grace Kelly

Even after all these years, women like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly will always be the type of woman I admire. I recall one summer not too long ago, my dear friend who lives with her husband in Vienna, came to visit Toronto. One of the many things we had to cross off our list was to see a Grace Kelly film together. It was fortunate that TIFF Bell Lightbox was screening To Catch A Thief at the time! What a treat it was to see this film on the silver screen.
Speaking of Grace, here is Rosamund Pike channeling the Grace Kelly look which first appeared in The Guardian. Not only do I love Rosamund, I also adore this sense of style that's very old world charm.

 

Until next time!

Jo

New Year, Bright Beginnings

(Can I add how much I think this picture is so bookishly cool!)

Friends,

Happy New Year! We welcome 2015 with open arms as we look forward to days ahead. May there be better and brighter moments for us to hold onto, and may we take courage and take action at the things we want to achieve.
This year, I want to write more letters to love ones aboard, create little surprises for someone who needs one, keep a journal and write a daily entry, read more books, paint often, take more ravine walks to nowhere, watch more film noirs, and bake more treats!

I can't wait to get my travel plans set in gear: places I'll be exploring this includes Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, London and Paris- with lovely surprises in between. Last year, visiting Florence, Venice and staying in the Tuscan countryside was spectacular- there's just so much more to do in this world! Stay tuned!


Books

This is the perfect time to start fresh with bookish goals and challenges, but what to choose? Here are some fun pledges to go along with:

HarperCollins Canada's 50 Book Pledge!

With fun contests, plus individualized shelves for your Read, Currently Reading, and To-Be Read picks, it's a fun way to keep track...and collect interesting badges along the way!

The 2015 Classics Challenge

I have stumbled across this lovely user on Tumblr and I thought it was a wonderful idea to conjoin with the 50 Book Pledge. I don't know about you, but I love reading the classics, and so it is suitable enough to aim for one classic book per month. Such fun!

Penguin Book's Penguinspiration!

Set yourself a goal for this year, take their mini quiz and they will send you recommendations right to your inbox! How very cute! #penguinspo

Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge

If you have an account on Goodreads, you can also track the amount of books you wish to set this year!

Random House of Canada's Reading Bingo Challenge

While they haven't put up their 2015 Bingo Reading Card yet, this what last year's look like- it's just as exciting to continue, or make one up that's unique you can share among friends!

Jan 14th UPDATE: Random House Canada just released this year's Reading Bingo Challenge- the Canadian edition! How fun!

Which one would you choose?

Until next time!

Scandinavian Love

Tíminn er eins og vatnið,
og vatnið er kalt og djúpt
eins og vitund mín sjálfs.
Og tíminn er eins og mynd,
sem er máluð af vatninu
og mér til hálfs.
Og tíminn og vatnið
renna veglaust til þurrðar
inn í vitund mín sjálfs.

In English: 

Time is like the water,
and the water is cold and deep
like my own consciousness.
And time is like a picture,
which is painted of water,
half of it by me.
And time and the water
flow trackless to extinction
into my own consciousness.

- Steinn Steinarr, Icelandic poet, 
"The Time and the Water"

I love all things Scandinavian, whether it be literature, art, music, interior design, products or the language. It's spellbinding and wonderfully fascinating. I'm looking forward to visiting Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden come the new year. The mountains are calling out to me...

Landscapes such as this view makes me wish I could leave everything behind right this minute and go on a big adventure. Fortunately, it won't be long before I head out into this part of the world!

Spaces:
Linda Sjögren of Moodhouse Interiör

Poets such as Nobel Prize winner Tomas Tranströmer and crime writers like Henning Mankell are one of many examples of Scandinavian writers that have come into the foreground of literature these past years, especially within crime noir!

Skyn Iceland- I swear by this product!

How could one not love Moomin?

Wonderful composers such as Jóhann Jóhannsson and Olafur Arnalds:

Blog Tour and Review: Marian Keyes

Hello  book chums!

I am thrilled to be part of the blog tour for fantastic Marian Keyes' newest release, The Woman Who Stole My LIfe. I've read The Brightest Star in the sky and have since enjoyed her other reads. 

The book is told from the protagonist's point of view: Stella Sweeney; a woman in her forties who finds herself overcoming steep challenges in her life as best as she can (which is not a graceful tour de force).

The title itself suggests an interesting turn of events. In the book, the reader finds out that Stella's husband, Ryan, deems her as "the woman who stole my life". He is dispirited by the fact that Stella was living the life he wished he had.

Keyes splits the book into past and present timelines, which ties and explores key individuals in Stella's life and how they have been able to come into her life purposefully. We've all wondered about the concept of karma and how everything seems to happen for a reason: Keyes helps to shed light on such matters through Stella's accident in a very touching and unforgettable way. 
Funny, witty, and often bittersweet, we find ourselves drawn to Stella's conflicts, torn between her duty as a mother and finding strength in love.

"Sometimes you get what you want and sometimes you get what you need and sometimes you get what you get."

I enjoyed this book immensely, especially  while on the train in the mornings, and before bed. There are many memorable characters and sections of the book where you find yourself wondering how often we take things in our life for granted. A very sweet read and one that would make a great gift for special women in your life this holiday season. I know I will recommend this book to my book club!

Cheers!

#TheWomanWhoStoleMyLife

Twitter: @MarianKeyes