In honour of World Book Day . . .

Ryan Holiday, modern day Stoic has a quote that I'm paraphrasing-ish:

You don't have to have an opinion about everything.

Which I really appreciate, because honestly?  I can't keep up. It's a relief to have permission not to have an opinion.  Religion? Politics? Celebrity break-up? Meh. I'm not out to convert anyone and I live in a live-and-let-live world. I'm more interested in getting along and focusing on our similarities, not our differences. We're all a part of humanity. You know; we are the world and whatnot. But then I came across Ashley Tisdale:

And like the Millennial she is, I can't even. 

I realized:  Not only do I have an opinion, but I am offended. On the one hand, I get it: her money, her home, her aesthetic. That she's just so cheerful in her admittance of ignorance, and sent her husband to get books adds a whole 'nother layer of . . . VAPID. 

I was so incensed, I even created a graphic:

Old book image from here.

If you read through the comments, verbal sparring represents the two sides: people who actually read, and the rest of those other people. 

"What's the problem?  Books are decoration."  

Oh. My. Word. Do you not know how books work? And herein lies the problem: Ms. Tisdale wants the look of books, she just doesn't care about the actual books. Essentially, they are props. Their only purpose is to fill a space. They have no other meaning--and that is what is so offensive to a Bibliophile.   

Books are not decoration. Books are knowledge and learning. Books are entertainment and a portal into other worlds. Books remind us of where we've been and the possibilities of where we can go. Books say, "You're not alone." Books make you laugh and cry and celebrate and hope. Books satiate your curiosity and propel your wonder. Books expand your world and make you think. 

But only if you read them. 

You know that meme, Tell Me Without Telling Me?

To clear the palate and distaste of Ashley Tisdale's bookshelves, here are a few examples from other Bibliophiles.  THIS. THIS is what a bookcase is for:

"I had lots and lots of books, so that was an easy thing to add." 

Can we be friends?

This illustrates there is hope for the younger generations:

Lookit this guy's office!  The books. The BOOKS!

This Bibliomania:

Coming from a family of readers, one of the first questions I have with my sibs is, "What are you reading?"  It's always a topic of interest. 

Similar to the Tell Me Without Telling Me meme, show me your bookcase, and I can tell who you are: what your interests are, what you spend your time and money on.  What you spend time and money on is a larger indication of what you value. One of the things I appreciate about Ramit Sethi, is his Book-Buying Rule he tweeted: 

If you're "thinking about" buying a book, just buy it. Don't waste 5 secs debating. Even 1 idea makes it worth it.

YES!  Here is his list of book recommendations.

Let us end this blogpost with where we began; Ryan Holiday talking about books:

And here's a graphic for his book quote:

What are YOU currently reading?

Victorian Parasol Suckers: It was a THING

Image from New York Public Library

 I was reading this Victorian etiquette book . . . 

and I came across this passage:

"Youngsters these days!  Sucking on their parasols! What is the world coming to? Pray tell, what is next? Ladies wearing men's trousers and voting? Absolutely ridiculous. It is too much to be borne."

I'll leave you with some Public Domain images from Harper's Bazaar of ladies not sucking on their parasols:

In case you wanted to know what were the en vague (make that VOGUE) parasols:

 Circa 1870.

Gallery Wall

This is my office area.  When I moved in, I set up my computer on the peninsula between the kitchen and living room and then the decor evolved from there. To the left of the monitor is book wallpaper adhered to the back of a small shelf unit that I use as a divider "wall."  And it's extra shelf/storage in the kitchen. Above the monitor to the right were two cupboard doors that I removed and replaced with the bulletin board (which I've covered with lace). It houses kitchen stuff that's accessible from the kitchen.

Close-up of bookcase wallpaper & plants on top of shelf:

To the right of the monitor is more book wallpaper adhered to a piece of foamboard, to give a cohesive look and hide the back of the microwave:

Corner:

Close-up of corner:

Photos are of Mum's mum as young woman and at age 5, looking very Victorian!

Copper book plate for a fern book & a painting by my artist friend Betsy:

Full gallery wall:

The fabric is a fern eco-print from Nik The Booksmith and it covers a printer. To the right of that is a framed collection of dried flowers that I got at a thrift store: 

On the back, it says:

 

Detail of homage to Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward: 

Free floating moths are from The Graphics Fairy.

Complete with a mini-Wardian case from Dollar Tree:

Underneath the little shelf thingie:

Left to right: Professor Anderson, director of Chelsea Gardens, Dr. Asa Gray, botanist at Harvard, and Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward.

I suspect these to be 3 of NB Ward's children. The photos are from the Literary and Scientific Portrait Club: photographs by Maull & Polyblank, circa 1855. They look like siblings, and I see a resemblance to NB Ward:

More 19th century botanical artists and authors: 

Top, Left to Right: Helena Scott, her sister Harriet Scott with Harriet's moth painting between them.

Bottom, Left to Right: Kate Chopin, author of The Awakening, Anna Atkins, & Louisa May Alcott

To the right of all of them is Jane Austen, of course!

This a print from author and botanical artist, Christine Andreae:

She's like a modern day Edith Holden!

Fern print that camouflages the heat register:

Beatrix Potter with her dog Kep, at Hilltop Farm and Elizabeth Gaskell:

Here's a link to a video walk-thru.

Here are a coupla bonus pix of the "Parlour" area, not in the video:

Tabby Bobcat asleep on the recliner. Lady is curled up in the cat/beagle bed. The book graphic is actually a shower curtain that I adhered to the back of a cupboard unit, that I use as a "half wall." It was a lot easier to do that than my original idea of doing the book wallpaper.

And up above, is Yoda-Kitty in her "Hutch Lair":

Zzzzzzz . . . .   :-)

Wisdom from 1888

 The older generation has complaints about the younger generation!  This is from Wilkie Collins, in his book, My Miscellanies.

Research Rabbit Holes

 As I research original sources from the 19th century, I find myself curious about little tidbits I might find. If I see an advertisement or a letter with an address, I will hop over to Google Maps and look it up. Bonus if there's a street view! Here's a recent example:

Note the ferns on the cover!

And, this got my attention; a name and address!

Ethel Kershaw, Radcliff House, Pudsey

Who was she?  Lookit! I found her in a 1911 census!

Ethel May Kershaw, only daughter of Hugh, 50 & Eleanor Mary, 42. They've been married 17 years. Hugh is a "medical practitioner."  Who else is living in the house?

The Hyland family: 

Samuel, aged 70, retired cashier & Eleanor, aged 59; married 31 years  

Only son/ child, Frederick Hunter Hyland, aged 19 and in medical school. 

Servants: 

Annie Dales, 58, general domestic servant. Single.

Marie Roze Buxton, 19, the cook. Single. 

Boarder:

Charles Suffield Brown, 24, medical student. Single.

What can we surmise about this household?

They only had 2 servants, so they were not regarded as wealthy. They have two young men who are medical students, which leads me to believe that Dr. Kershaw was a teacher at the local school or a mentor of sorts. 

 

What about the relationships of the Hylands and Kershaws?

It's possible that Eleanor Hyland & Eleanor Mary Kershaw were sisters. It seems strange to us that they would have the same first name, but this was common practice to name daughters after their mothers. E.g. Marie Antoinette's sisters were all Maria Something. They were then called by their middle names or a nickname by their families. Just the name Elizabeth could become Lizzie, Eliza, Bess, Beth, etc. etc. allowing for all the daughters to be named after their mother Elizabeth.   

Back to Ethel, who started this whole thing! What can we gather about this young girl?  Either she was interested in drawing or this was a textbook. It was published in 1878.

There are questions in the back which suggests this was a class she took or a book someone lent her because she had an interest in drawing:

But what about Radcliffe House in Pudsey?  Was it a grand estate? Is it still there?  I searched for Radcliffe House, Pudsey, England on Google Maps.  YES!  It's still there. And . . . it's a mental healthcare facility now. You'll be able to see some disappointing photos of the exterior and interior of the house. The current decor has wiped out original architectural features and the character the house would have had originally. 

 

If you click on Street View (Upper left corner of the screen) you're facing a row of back yards. What pretty gardens everyone has!  Turn around clockwise, and you'll get a view of the side of Radcliffe House. Those trees (or shrubs?) must be very old. In front of the hedge are rocks all along the lane, which could have once been a garden wall. 

Keep going clock wise and follow the lane of Radcliffe Gardens and you'll see a sign for the house. There's no really good view of the whole house from Google Maps. Here's a view from Radcliffe Lane. It's a fun little jaunt around the block, tho.

Further research :

*History of Radcliffe House

*Old maps of Pudsey

*What exactly was a "retired cashier" in 1911?  Accountant?  

*What happened to the medical students? 

*What happened to Ethel?  Did she marry? Have a family? Stay at Radcliffe?  

But this is where I need to stop. Seriously. If I were researching family history, or working on a project specifically for this, or getting paid for my infernal curiosity, then I would continue. But I will end it there and leave you with a coupla ferny illustrations:

Finally! A Writing "How To" Book for The Rest of Us!

 "There are as many different ways of writing a book as there are writers, but we all end up with a finished book regardless of how we get there. You have to find the process that works for you." ~Joanna Penn

What a breath of fresh air Joanna Penn is! The books I've read on writing have all stressed structure, plotting, and outlining--all of which stressed me out and made me wonder what was wrong with me and why wasn't I more disciplined. She doesn't dismiss non-outliners as "pantsers." Instead of appealing to those who naturally have an outline, she reframes this kind of writing as "discovery writing." When I'm writing fiction, I often think, "Oooooh, what's going to happen next?!" Because I don't know. "Creativity is not linear," she says. Exactly. She cites other writers (Stephen King, Lee Child, Nora Roberts, to name a few) who are Discovery Writers and she shares their processes.

Joanna gives permission NOT to know the ending, not to know all the characters or events. You don't have to write in order of beginning, middle, and end. "You need to know enough to finish this novel, but you don't need to know everything before you write it." You don't have to have everything perfect before you begin.

The book is divided into 5 parts:
1. Mindset and writing.
2. How to do research, create ideas, and find what kind of writer you are (Outliner or Discovery Writer).
3. The nuts and bolts of a novel: story structure, characters, etc.
4. First draft and writing tools.
5. Editing.

Throughout the book at the end of each chapter is a resource guide of books, websites, etc. for further exploration. In addition, she has a list of questions (GREAT for journaling!) that help you take a deeper dive into your writing and your process.

When I read "That's not how my creative brain works," it made me realize that I had been carrying some subconscious baggage from my old English teachers about the "right" way to write. It's refreshing to read from an actual author that Discovery Writing is a proper, legitimate method AND used by many authors. 

 At the time I was reading, all I had was a pencil for underlining, because I can't read without also writing! Here are a few pages:

I highly recommend this book to the "That's not how my brain works" writing crowd. This book will guide you through how to write with your natural writing style and not tell you that you're doing it wrong. For those of us who wrote out required outlines after we wrote papers in English class, this book's for the rest of us!

Sherlock Mystery Folders for A&P Class

  My sister is teaching A&P for the T.A.G. (Talented And Gifted) program this week for 10-14 year olds. So I helped her design some learning centers. Each day will have medical mysteries correlated with the system they are studying. We're also incorporating critical thinking and scientific inquiry. I won't post the whole series here, but here's the first one:

Creative Commons photo of 19th century Sherlock. I just printed in B&W on parchment paper. 

Each story is printed on cardstock and I have incorporated some critical thinking / scientific inquiry questions:

Answer can be deduced by flipping up the card:

On back of story is a pocket holding "The London Times" front page:

Vintaged up.

I printed this out on parchment & distressed:

Here's an easier version to read:

I'll prolly do a video demo after the class is finished to show all the folders.  :-)