One Neat Little Package

When my affinity for words, music, and a session in a bookshop comes together you get the following:



As with literary discoveries, new musical ones excite me almost as much and my favourite discovery of 2010 has to be Mumford and Sons. The words of this song, that is aptly named White Blank Page, evokes a considerable amount of emotion within me and by 'swelling rage' I am as revved up with pleading exactly where was my fault. Its literature wrapped up in a neat little four and half minute bundle for a quick fix with lasting affects. Enjoy

Holiday reading spots

It's at last holiday time and I am armed with my favourite holiday indulgence Phillipa Gregory, my half finished Haruki Murukami's Norwegian Wood, Milan Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being and and my Everest, Marlene van Niekerk's Agaat and this is where I will be enjoying them: Old Mac Daddy Luxury Trailer Park.





I can't wait, just a few more things to pack then we are off tomorrow morning on an early flight. I can't wait to see our quirky For Better or Boerewors suite and unwind swimming, hiking and of course reading.



(images; Old Mac Daddy)

The rest of my reading will be happening between Christmas and New Years here:


A work in progress, my own little makeshift bohemian reading spot at home for the hot summer days. I am sure here I will make a considerable dent in Agaat, as well as making some progress on our new and improved upcoming website.

I remember fondly our holiday reading spot from exactly a year ago, Koh Lanta Thailand which housed us and our companions, The Girl who Played with Fire and Shantaram for hours and days on end.



Happy reading this holiday and here is hoping that you find your perfect spot.
From the lazy bloggers of The Paperhouse Review

Arbor Month: Save a tree, buy only good or secondhand books this month

Arbor month started on the 1st of September 2010 and I have planted no less than 5 trees in my yard. My husband and I are trying to offset our huge carbon emission from last year and has committed to only traveling locally this year (though I must confess this is partly due to the double recession of our own finances). But apart from the obvious climate related reasons I think every self confessed bibliophile needs to plant at least one tree this month. You only need to walk into the likes of Exclusive Books or CNA to realise who many of our precious resources and trees are being sacrificed to publish ,quite frankly, rubbish.

So I urge you to do one of the following: plant a tree as a thank you to the paper and its source that has brought you many hours of reading pleasure and shop locally or secondhand. Buying books from a local independent bookseller not only supports your own community instead of the big corporates but makes a lot more carbon sense. And the best and worth while has probably been separated from the masses to enhance your browsing experience. See a previous post explaining this offset here

Pick n Pay and Woolworths will be selling young potted indigenous trees in their flower aisles, perfect for balconies or consider these green starter packs from Eco Living Gifts


More on the bookshop above in my next post.

5 minutes with Ian McEwan

Here is a short but very interesting 5 minute interview by BBC reporter Matt Stadlen with my favourite British author, Ian McEwan. They talk briefly about Amsterdam's Booker Prize value, his approach to writing and his love for music. Click here to view the interview on BBC.