Books of 2008

In 2007 I read 46 books. I was hoping to read more in '08; unfortunately I didn't reach my goal.
I rated each book with five being the best score, and zero being the worst I have also added the cover image of the books I recommend.

The 5 Stars
Into the Wild
You're not You
19 Minutes
Me & Emma
Edie: American Girl

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Double Bind
Vanishing Acts
The Lovely Bones
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Pleasure of My Company: A Novella

The History of Love


The 4 Stars
American Bloomsbury

Orpheus Lost: A Novel
Change of Heart: A Novel
The Sunday List of Dreams
Everyone Worth Knowing

The 3 Stars
The Edge of Winter
Juno & Juliet
After Dark
Choke
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Firefly Cloak:A Novel
A Long Way Down

The 2 Stars
Harvesting the Heart: A Novel
Searching for Paradise in Parker, Pa

1 Star
The Year of Pleasures

0 Stars
Home to Holly Springs

Unfinished
My Dearest Friend: Letters if Abagail and John Adams
Ten Little Indians

Chairs

The warm weather (60 degrees in Philly at the end of December!) had me flicking through old photos I took during late summer.
Winter, if you're reading-please come back.

When snow is coming... Christmas is never far away !
Originally uploaded by petite chose

I'm at my childhood home for the holidays. The landscape covered in a crisp, beautiful blanket of snow.

Winter

Happy Winter. Here in Philly we had ice drenched city to wake up to. Brrr.

Quaker Wedding

Philadellphia - Old City: Arch Street Friends Meeting House
Originally uploaded by wallyg

I am terribly interested in Quaker monthly meetings, and hope to attend one soon. Throughout history Quakers have been progressive in thought, and peaceful in action.
A coworker of mine recently told me of her own simple Quaker wedding. Since then I've researched and learned so much more about this unceremonious and fairly silent tradition. Friends gather in a circle with the couple in the center, if/when a friend feels the urge to speak they then do so. There is no wedding march at the service, religious leader conducting the ceremony, only equals gathered to honor friends who are making a promise to one another. After about 45 minutes to an hour the couple makes impromptu vows to one another, the the marriage certificate is signed by all in attendance.
This sounds very romantic, and charming.

Whose Hand?

Img via RZ (private collection)
Text via Le Love

ERock

Trader Joe's hires interesting people. One of the most wonderful people working there now is Ellen. She is the sweetest girl, who has so much on her plate and always finds time for others. She is creative, bright, talented, and so hard working.
Yesterday we had some overlapping free time, which is a rarity. She invited me over to her gorgeous apartment. Not only does charisma and adorableness exude from every pore and action, but it also is recognizable in her living space. Take a look:

Goodmorning,

NPR. Ryan and I don't own a TV. I don't miss it a bit, but I do miss listening to the news while I get ready for the day. The NPR Media Player solves this issue for me. The news is concise, and only 5 minutes long. Most of the time I listen to the 24 hour stream, but lately I have been listening to my Pandora Christmas Stream.

Friends of Friends

_MG_1354
Originally uploaded by mcjawn

My new friend, MC, told me about this hip new magazine her friend helped create. Its Phillycentric, up to the minute, and pretty neat. Featured articles include: Bar Bathroom Review, Philly Phashion, Movie Reviews, and much more. I cant wait to see the next issue.





Also, Jin (the co-creator of the Mag), also hosts art shows. Nice.

'Tis the Season

It snowed little wet snowflakes that stuck to the windshields of cars and blades of grass. Its lovely to see my city dressed in its winter white.

Shop Girl

Today I finally added some merchandise to my Etsy shop.

December

While creatures in the wild crawl into their homes for a long winters nap, crafters speed up production with a list almost a long as St. Nicks. Oh my!

Here's some pretty Pyrex I spied from my moms collection over the Thanksgiving Holiday.