I'm Mad About ...

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July. Even though the husband had to work, I did a little barbecuing and festive decorating:

Here are a few things that caught my eye this week:

• Good idea: The Everygirl's starting a book club. Are you keeping up?
• Speaking of books, how many books in Rory Gilmore's library have you read? I won't embarrass myself by admitting how few I've read (it's more than zero!), but I will say that I tried to read Kerouac and just couldn't do it.
• I'll probably never make these brownie cookies with salted caramel filling, but it's nice to think that I could!
• It's Pinterest Challenge time again. What are you making?
• Interesting differences between American and British English.

I'm off for a spa weekend with a friend! More on that next week. Have a lovely weekend!

I'm Mad About...

So last night I finished reading Pride and Prejudice. My book group met on Tuesday to discuss it, so I'm only a few days late. (Much better than our previous book, which I didn't even start reading until after the book group met!) Plus, I already knew the ending, so it's not like anyone could spoil it for me. But the whole time I was reading it, I kept conflating two different movie versions and picturing Keira Knightley as Elizabeth and Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. I know he's a bit old for her (or she's a bit young for him), but I'd totally go see that movie.

Here are some things that caught my eye this week:

Selfridges via Condé Nast Traveler

• British bookworms rejoice (at least temporarily): Selfridges London has opened a pop-up library of sorts on the ground floor of the department store to express solidarity with librarians as public spending cuts threaten libraries.  
• Are you as inspired by the William Morris Project over at Pancakes & French Fries as I am?
• Seriously, why did it never occur to me to start a blog about Trader Joe's?
• All you Bay Area Eames fans, Zinc Details will host a showing of Eames: The Architect and the Painter on Wednesday. I watched it last weekend and highly recommend it.

I'm Mad About...

Los Angeles Times

• Gingerbread houses have never looked so good!
• Love the idea of a holiday shopping list. You can't be too organized this time of year.
• This one's for all you dog lovers. The video is great, and the song's pretty catchy, too.
• I'm so excited about the Young House Love book! I just hope John and Sherry (and Burger!) do a book tour—and head out West.
• Send a handwritten email. It would be great for holiday thank-yous when a written card is too formal, but you want something special.
• It's a party in a PDF! 
• More beautiful and unique book-themed art.

Gift Guide: Book Worm

Indulge your friend's reading habit with these helpful and stylish accessories:

Clockwise from upper left: Wicked Witch bookmarks, Etsy; Little Red Riding Hood poster, Square Inch Design; Literary Art iPhone 4 covers, Uncommon Goods; Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Light, Amazon; Penguin Classics Passport Case, The Lost Girl, Barnes & Noble; Esme readers, Kate Spade; Jonathan Adler Surfing Style iPad case; ModCloth

Check out gift guides for foodies, Francophiles, Anglophiles and animal lovers.
Also be sure to visit the fabulous and comprehensive gift guides by Gifted magazine and Emily Henderson.

I'm Mad About...

Amazon.com

• The Aestate is giving away a copy of "The Perfectly Imperfect Home" by Domino's Deborah Needleman!
• I can't decide which of these holiday cards is my favorite. (OK, it's the owl!)
• The proliferation of online magazines continues. This new one looks very sweet!

Inspired by: Libraries

My father had a fairly extensive book collection—mostly classics, history, biographies, philosophy, all hardcover—and now it's mine. While I've only read a handful of those books, I would never dream of parting with them.

We're fortunate enough to have a room to house all those books, complete with my dad's bookcases, chairs, and artwork. Whenever I walk in, I can just feel his presence. I want to keep that feeling while changing things up a bit. Here are some library spaces that caught my eye:

Floor to ceiling books(!):

Matchbook magazine

I'm not sold on color-coordinating books, but this is a bright, cheery space:

Apartment Therapy

Love the styling on these shelves:

Amie Weitzman's New York townhouse, Design*Sponge

This is very sophisticated, and I like the contrast between black and white:

Neuvo Estilo, via Little Green Notebook

I love the idea of a library/dining room combo:

Elle Decor Spain, via Because It's Awesome

I can't say enough about how much in love I am in love with this space:

Via Elements of Style

I'm Mad About...

• This beautiful pendant lets you look good and do good; $10 from each one sold goes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
• I'm mesmerized by these beautiful paintings by artist Hyun-Hee Lee.
• Another book to add to my wish list—Open Studios With Lotta Jansdotter!