the book society

The Book Society is a great little bookstore/project space run by Media Bus. Here you can find a well curated selection of small press and artists' publications, along with a variety of self-published books. It's easy to spend well over an hour here fondling the beautiful covers and smooth pages (even longer when it comes time to decide which ones to actually purchase). The store itself has a refreshingly unpretentious DIY feel, which made for a very comfortable browse. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's only about a ten minute walk from Hongdae, which means I'll certainly be visiting again in the near future.

Location
The Book Society
서울시 마포구 상수동 331-8
1F(#3), 331-8, Sangsu-dong,
Mapo-gu, Seoul, Korea
121-829

pajubookcity

This morning I ventured to Paju Book City, an innovative publishing community/living architecture museum nestled on reedy wetlands about 30 minutes north of Seoul. According to my city guide, Book City adheres to very strict architectural guidelines, meaning that all of the buildings rely on materials - plywood, polycarbonate, copper, and glass - that reflect the contours and colours of the surrounding countryside, allowing the whole development to blend in with its environment. My friend Hyun described it best, saying that it reminded her of a Lego town. I agree - an extremely beautiful, harmonious Lego town... with very photogenic rust.

shabby chic

After ten months in the suburbs, two weeks of apartment hunting and countless hours of arguing my boyfriend and I have finally found a place to call home (starting June 1st that is). While it's a bit more condoland than exposed brick loft I'm still dreaming up all sorts of fabulous ways to decorate our new pad - because clearly I get to make all the decisions on that front. And there is nothing better than starting with a blank canvas.

Rachel Ashwell (miss Shabby Chic) just released a new design book that has me all kinds of inspired. Vintage furnishings, frilly linens and peonies aplenty define this decidedly girly style, something that I might not be able to get away with in my new co-ed habitat. Ah well, a girl can dream. Regardless of my new roommate I still plan on incorporating plenty of florals and working exclusively with a palate of whites, french blue and greige.

awful library books

Okay I'll admit it, I have a serious flaw when it comes to buying a new book. I always judge a book by its cover. The prettier the cover, the more likely I am to buy it. If the cover isn't eye catching - well, it better come with a very good recommendation from Oprah (or Katie). And don't even get me started on paperbacks with movie posters for covers, I cannot stand to have them on my bookshelf. I made a small exception for An Education because I was desperate to read it and I couldn't find a copy sans Carey Mulligan on the front. Anyway, I know Katie loves a good book cover as well, which is why I'm sure she'll find Awful Library Books as hilarious as I do.

Librarians Mary and Holly are the curators of his quirky little blog that showcases outdated and often quite odd public library holdings. The covers are anything but pretty and often border on offensive but they're certainly worth perusing if you're looking for a giggle.

the books

Paul Octavious - The Book Collection

Now I want to make book stacks shaped like Godzilla, The Loch Ness Monster, and the number 26.

curious pages

Looking for books about teddy bears or rainbows or feelings? You’re at the wrong place. Here we celebrate the offbeat, the abstract, the unusual, the surreal, the macabre, the inappropriate, the subversive and the funky.

I pretty much love every post over at We Love You So - especially their post about Curious Pages, a hilarious blog devoted to peculiar children's books. When I was young, my parents religiously read to me, but stuck to more conventional material - the Merchant family favourites were The Berenstain Bears, Madeline, Each Peach Pear Plum, Goodnight Moon, and, of course, Love You Forever. For someone who teaches her fair share of children's books, I could certainly add some inappropriate tales to Curious Pages' list - Chunk the Chick (a story about a lonely chicken who is too 'chunky' to have any friends), and The Sad Clown Brigade (two clowns quit their circus jobs, become janitors at a hospital, build a rapport with a sick kid, giving him the best day of his life after which he promptly dies). Anyway, I digress. Curious Pages is a treat, serving up equal hits of nostalgia and joy. Check it out.

souvenir

While it was fantastic being in Shanghai for the Chinese New Year, the downside was that many shops were closed. I did, however, manage to pick up this antique picture book (and the perfect pair of vintage round sunglasses). The images are beautiful and although it cost next to nothing, it's one of my favourite souvenirs that I've acquired since being in Asia.

(almost) currently reading

Currently I'm in between an internship and a fantastic traveling adventure to Malaysia (by way of LDN) to visit my parents. As a result, I'm stuck in a kind of life limbo. As such I've been spending a lot of time at Chapters nursing lattes and reading exotic foreign fashion magazines I can't afford to buy. Today I decided to dust off my Christmas gift cards and pick up some plane reading material for my upcoming trip. I've been lusting after both of these little literary gems for a while now but have resisted purchasing them because I've been trying to hunt them down second hand. After several failed trips to a variety of dusty old bookshops I decided today that I would finally treat myself. I'm excited to sit down with these - although I'm sure Katie's already combed through both (knowing her love of Miranda July and the film adaptation of Lynn Barber's biographic tale). Anyways, hopefully I'll be able to hold off reading them for the next week until I take off.

all about alice

This week I've decided to re-read Alice in Wonderland in preparation for Tim Burton's soon to be released film adaptation of the quirky classic. I wasn't really into what Burton did with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and so my expectations are kind of..meh. From what I've seen so far the film is a far cry from the whimsical technicolour of the beloved Disney version. Think dark and eerie (Johnny...you've never looked so creepy) and a little bit too CGI for my liking.

However, revisiting the book has been quite magical. I've fallen down the rabbit hole (if you will) and am a little bit obsessed with all things Alice. I've been after the white-rabbit's pocket watch for a while and now I'm on the look out for the perfect mary-janes to pair with some white knee highs. and a ribbon in my hair. Also, if anyone is in possession of a comically oversized hat I'd love to host an afternoon tea party to celebrate my upcoming unbirthday.

The Carrie Diaries

The 14-year old gossip girl inside of me is very excited for the upcoming Sex and the City prequel by chick-lit queen Candace Bushnell. The Carrie Diaries will chronicle everyone's favourite chain-smoking corsage wearing sex columnist during her awkward teenage years. Carrie's high school fashion escapades and romantic entanglements come to a bookshelf near you at the end of April. Highly anticipated? Abso-fucking-lutely.

takashi homma

Takashi Homma’s own “I love my daughter very much. I love Tokyo very much.” declaration is probably the key to reveal the connection between the graceful and intimate sequence of images depicting Homma’s daughter and the city of Tokyo. With his incredible touch and distance he again creates a special world of his own, documenting his daughter from being a toddler to a young little girl through the everyday places in and around their life.
(about Homma's 'Tokyo and My Daughter')

Homma is renowned for his subdued Tokyo landscapes, but his portraits of Japanese youth are possibly even more affecting. The way he captures contemporary childhood is stunningly candid, instilling in the viewer a strong nostalgia for endless wonder– underlined by a sense of deep disquiet.
(We Love You So)

I spotted this beautiful book over at We Love You So and now wish it was part of my library, as it combines both my love of adorable children and the sprawling, inspiring cityscape I can't wait to explore come spring.

lullabies for little criminals

"Alphonse wore expensive outfits and a white angora baseball hat. He had a pair of gold pants and a shirt with goldfish that matched the pants exactly. Once I saw him out on the street corner...wearing a burgundy overcoat over some green silk pajamas with blue leather slippers and drinking out of a plastic milk container. It was then that I realized that he could never look anything but spectacular."

Have you read this yet? If not you should, I know you'd like it. I'm only half way through but so far it gets an enthusiastic thumbs up for being funny, heart-wrenching, and Canadian all in one.

library love

Handelingenkamer Tweede Kamer Der Staten-Generaal Den Haag, the Hague, Netherlands

Bibliotecha de la Real Academia De La Lengua, Madrid, Spain

Real Gabinete Portugues De Leitura Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Some of my fondest memories from undergrad involve Jessica, early morning pilgrimages to Second Cup to pilfer a cinnamon bun (or two), and days spent on the old second floor in McMaster's Mills Library (before it turned into the dreaded, computer-filled Learning Commons). I've always loved everything about libraries (including their often-musty perfume), and still think that becoming a librarian would be a wonderful career. Curious Expeditions has a beautiful post called "Librophiliac Love Letter: A Compendium of Beautiful Libraries" which has made me want to travel the world merely to explore all of these gorgeous buildings (and has inspired me to seek out libraries in Korea). They also recommend a lovely book, The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World, which I wouldn't mind having on my bookshelf.

foxhat

story : Drawn in a heartily way, it is a story about a girl who can't communicate with the world and she wants to breed the baby fox :
so she carries the baby fox on top of her head to disguise
from her mother as it is a fox fur hat.
From experiencing one occasion at a time,
she learns to open her heart to the world little by little.
(from the publisher: textcontext)

Today, I came across foxhat, a darling picture book by Korean author/illustrator Seungyoun Kim. Deciding it simply must have a place in my permanent book collection, I brought it up to the counter, where, much to my delight, the cashier slipped it into a lovely paper bag adorned with leaping rabbits, and tucked a sweet little card in alongside (extras like this excite me). Kim wants to "continuously create book that are not easily forgotten after the first reading: books that are fresh and can be kept for a life time" - I think she's done just that with foxhat. I love the endearing English translation (it's available in both Korean and English), my favourite line being, "We are the best friends in the universe." God, I love Korea.

coffee break

Yesterday I got to leave work early to go on a variety of photographic adventures around the city. For an hour or so I managed to squeeze in some time for a cafe au lait and light reading at the Balzacs Coffee in Liberty Village. I forgot how wonderful it is to simply sit in a cafe and read. Most of my reading these days happens while wedged up against suit-clad commuters on the GO train and most of my coffee drinking happens at my desk while replying to the slew of emails crowding my inbox. I'm going to make a vow to find time for this simple pleasure more often, especially because Balzacs is so delicious and my current book of choice has such a beautiful cover.

how fantastic

"The Making of Fantastic Mr. Fox"
Designed by Angus Hyland, Pentagram London
Rizzoli New York

(via Pentagram)

Wes Anderson and Angus Hyland have put together what is sure to be a wonderfully whimsical addition to any coffee table with their new book, The Making of Fantastic Mr. Fox. It includes: Wes Anderson’s drawings, along with his annotated scripts; pictures of props, sets and puppets; the Chaffin illustrations; stills from the film; concept designs and character development drawings; material swatches for costumes; and technical drawings and interviews with Wes and Eric Anderson, Jason Schwartzman and Liccy Dahl (Pentagram). Amazing.