Books About Town

The Librarian, Author: Terry Pratchett

If you're in London then you've probably already seen the amazing new book benches that are up for the summer. I haven't ventured out of the sticks recently so haven't seen them myself but I love all the designs and I particularly love the idea behind them; to celebrate Britain's works of literature and promote reading.

There are 50 benches in all and they have been created by Wild in Art in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust and a lot of talented artists. You can find out more about them on the Books About Town website.

Here are a few of my favourite benches.

Dr Seuss: Author: Dr Theodor Seuss Geisel

Earnest, Author: Oscar Wilde

Elmer the Elephant, Author: David McKee

Great Expectations, Author: Charles Dickens

Sherlock Holmes Stories, Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Canterbury Tales, Author: Geoffrey Chaucer

The Lion, the With and the Wardrobe, Author: C. S. Lewis

The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole

I recently revisited Adrian Mole...

A few days ago I realised that during a couple of house moves and clear outs I had lost most of my Adrian Mole books. This was a tragedy. So, I popped on eBay and Amazon and bought all the ones I needed.

The other day, this package arrived.

Adrian Mole Books

Needless to say, I have not moved much from the sofa since the books arrived, except to occasionally feed myself and perform necessary bodily functions. I've dedicated as much time as I can to reading them.

Having said that, I did have to take occasional breaks from Adrian. He'd become too clueless, too apathetic or sanctimonious and I'd have to leave him alone for a bit as I felt myself getting increasingly frustrated with him. But that's the beauty of Sue Townsend's creation; a lot of the time you want to slap him, yet even when he becomes unbearable, you still route for him.

I've got to say, I much prefer the younger diaries of Adrian Mole to the later ones. I feel more warmth towards him at thirteen and three quarters; his over-inflated sense of self, coupled with his inbuilt apathy, sits better on a teenager than it does on a thirty year old. I found myself wanting to tell him to grow up and pull himself together, but then if he did that there would be nothing to read.

The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4

The first Adrian Mole book is really perfect, Sue Townsend captures teenage awkwardness and family dynamics so well. Plus, it's Mole's naivety that drives the book; the reader knows what's happening with his mum and the next-door neighbour, even if he doesn't.

Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years

The last book, The Prostrate Years, left so many questions unanswered; will Adrian beat his illness, will he ever get together with Pandora, where the hell is his son William? Will there be another book? Sue Townsend is now blind. She used to write with a large marker pen but now she can't see a thing. So it's unlikely that we'll hear any more of Adrian. And maybe that's the best way.

If you've never read Adrian Mole, go and do it now. If you have, then revisit him, he hasn't changed.

Follow Me On Bloglovin'

Penguin Book Art Prints

The Great Gatsby - Easy Art Print

I love a good book print.
I love anything to do with books, so these new Penguin Prints from Easy Art caught my attention.

The Penguin covers, designed by Edward Young, are instantly recognisable and can usually guarantee that there's a good story inside.

Easy Art has quite a few of the triple stripe cover prints on canvas.

Wuthering Heights - Easy Art Print

But there are also more covers from The Penguin English Library Series, designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith (good name).

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Easy Art Print

Jane Eyre - Easy Art Print

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Easy Art Print

I love this cover for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn - Easy Art Print

Easy Art also do the prints framed.

Far from the Madding Crowd - Easy Art Print

If I Were A Rich (Wo)Man: Alice Inspired

This week's (late) If I Were A Rich Woman post is inspired by my Alice in Wonderland Tattoo Trends post from earlier this week. So expect, rabbits, teacups and clocks galore.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - www.art.co.uk

I love the colours in this Alice's Adventures in Wonderland print, the teal and burgundy work well together. This would look very nice on my wall but at £99 it won't be there any time soon.

Next up, an Alice in Wonderland classic symbol, a pocket watch. I've wanted one for ages, I'm not really sure why as it's much easier to have one on your wrist, but there's something rather dapper about a pocket watch, especially this Gold Plated Mechanical Double Hunter Pocket Watch.

Gold Plated Mechanical Double Hunter Pocket Watch - www.pocketwatch.co.uk

I love that you can see the clock work, the watch is traditional with a surreal edge.

Gold Plated Mechanical Double Hunter Pocket Watch - www.pocketwatch.co.uk

£94.80, it's probably quite good for a watch but out of my league.


Teacup Tea Light Burners for a tea party, these would look lovely dotted around the garden.

Teacup Tea Light Burners - Not On The High Street

£14 quid each though, that's going to cost a lot of money to decorate my garden.
Surely there must be some DIY for this on Pinterest.

Teacup Tea Light Burners - Not On The High Street

Last but not least, and still in the tea party theme, is this lovely Alice's Teapot Necklace from By Emily.

Alice's Teapot Necklace - By Emily

I love the burnished metal and the dainty detail.

Alice's Teapot Necklace - By Emily

There's also a tiny silver door mouse hiding inside.

Alice's Teapot Necklace - By Emily

That Emily is one talented lady.

That's all for this week, hope you've enjoyed the Alice-themed items.

Follow Me On Bloglovin'

Tattoo Trends: Who The F*ck is Alice?

Image via Pinterest

Alice in Wonderland tattoos; every alternative wannabe and their dog has one nowadays.
However, there is a good reason; let's face it, the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass books are fantastic. Their continued popularity shows humanity's need for something nonsensical and out of the ordinary.

Alice tattoos seem to be split into four categories, firstly quotes. Alice in Wonderland has to be one of the most quoted books of all time, with phrases that have worked their way into our vocabulary. But with such great sentences, it's not a surprise.

Image via Pinterest

Image via Tattoo Ideas Central

Image via Otter1 on Deviant Art

Image via Pinterest

Some are more original than others, unfortunately 'We're All Mad Here' has been vastly over used.

Another popular Alice in Wonderland tattoo theme is the original drawings by Sir John Tenniel. These are my favourite type of Alice tattoos. You can't beat the original illustrations and I love the sketched style of the tattoos. It's a great way for tattoo artists to display their talent and, although as usual these are getting more popular, they are slightly more original than most.

Image via South Side Tattoo

Image via Pinterest

Image via Sarah B Bolen

Image via South Side Tattoo

The next trend in Alice in Wonderland tattoos is the art from the 1951 Disney film version. I have to admit this is one of my favourite films. Yes, they did Disneyfy the story a bit but they managed not to sugarcoat it too much and it keeps the surreal feeling of the book fairly well. I'm less fond of the tattoos as they tend towards the cutesy, but there are still some great ones out there.

Image via Gurl Gone Geek

Image via Photobucket

There are some also not so great Alice film tattoos...

Image via Tumblr

Close, but not quite there.

Finally, as you've probably guessed, is Tim Burton's 2010 Alice in Wonderland film. A combination of Tim Burton and Alice is just perfect really and provides surreal and sometimes disturbing art to base tattoos on.

Image via Pinterest

Image via Tumblr

This looks like a trend that shows no sign of dying out and demonstrates how the book has spawned a following that will most likely last far into the future. My only nit pick really is that Alice tattoos are so vastly copied and, I want to ask lots of the people who have them, have you actually read the book?

I know, I'm a book snob...and I like it.

Follow Me On Bloglovin'

Children's Classics: Can't You Sleep Little Bear

One of my great loves is books. That sounds hyperbolic but it's true; it is a great, huge love and has been ever since I was a child. Books we read when we are young definitely have an affect on us, whether we know it or not, even if it is just a prod of the imagination or the soothing of a troubled soul.

The word 'classic' is bandied around a lot when it comes to books but I think it is deserved in many cases, I'm going to start regularly posting about a book I consider a children's classic. Don't ask me how often, probably just when I feel like it, but there're so many out there that I think it should keep me going for quite some time.

The first book I'm going to review (it's not really a review but I don't know what else to call it) definitely deserves the term classic and has become a go-to book for any parent of a child reluctant to sleep.

Can't You Sleep Little Bear? Image via Walker Books

Can't You Sleep Little Bear by Matin Waddell and Barbara Firth tells the story of the small bear who, you guessed it, can't get to sleep because he's frightened of the dark. The disparing Big Bear brings him lantern after lantern until he finally shows Little bear that there's no reason to be afraid of the dark at all.

There are simple reasons why this book has become so popular; it connects with a common fear, it has a formulaic structure common in children's books where something is increased as the book goes on, and it has bears in it, which everyone loves.

But it could so easily have been overly twee, with the cuddly bears and the optimistic message, yet it bypasses this with the simplicity of Martin Waddell's language and the realism of Barbara Firth's illustrations. You can feel the exasperation of Big Bear, which many parents can identify with. Plus, children can see themselves in the overly energetic Little Bear doing handstands on the bed.

It manages to be touching, haunting, yet simple and with a satisfying ending that warms you up like a big round moon.

Follow Me On Bloglovin'

Book Bags...Literally

Do you remember when you used to have a book bag for school? A plain, rather unattractive thing that gave you static shots?
Well, recently book bags seem to be back on trend, but in a totally different way. Enter the of book clutch. They have been around for a little while, Michelle Williams carried one at the 2012 BAFTAs.

Michelle Williams With Book Clutch

They seem to be having a resurgence in popularity at the moment, probably thanks to the release of The Great Gatsby; it's brought the beautiful Art Deco art work to the public's attention.

As an inexhaustible reader I do love these clutches, though I'm sure a lot are used by posers to show off their superior book knowledge.

The most popular ones, especially in celebrity circles, seem to be Olympia Le Tan's stunning embroidered versions.

Madame Bovary Book Clutch - Olympia Le Tan

War and Peace Book Clutch - Olympia Le Tan

They are lovely, but as they're over 1,000 Euros they're a bit out of my price range.
I was very excited therefore, when I opened a recent Look magazine and saw that there was an Etsy designer creating book clutches at a fraction of the price.

Le Petit Prince Book Clutch - P.S. Besitos

P.S. Besitos has a range of book clutches with a number of well known and obscure titles. I particularly love The Secret Garden one as it is one of my favourite books.

Secret Garden Book Clutch - P.S. Besitos

Plus the designer, Jessica Bermudez Bautista doesn't use actual books to create them because "I couldn’t bear the thought of stripping a book of its pages." She sounds like my kind of girl.

Moby Dick - P.S. Besitos

At £52.20 these fit my price range better, though still more than I usually like to spend (50p). But, for bags as lovely as these I'll save up my pennies.

www.olympialetan.com
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/psBesitos