book list

It being a beautiful sunny day here, and not having anything better to do,
I went out for a drive...and ended up (again) at the library.
Here's part of what I picked up:



A book of Muriel Spark's short stories, mainly because of Frontier Psychiatrist's recent recommendation of her work. I only knew of her from "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," but just by that, well, there's not much left needed to recommend her to me. I picked this of her books mainly based on the beautiful cover. I'm shallow like that. I admit it. The library had several older editions of her work work each with beautiful mid-century covers.
I opened each and read the first page. One (I'm not sure which) had on the first page a character exclaiming (I'm paraphrasing from memory here, so forgive me):
"I love white bread and I have no fads!"
Which made me laugh nearly out loud.
Genius.



Two heavy books of complete eye candy: Taschen's Fashion: A History, One from the 20th century and the other from the 18th and 19th centuries. All the clothes are from a museum in Kyoto and just gorgeous.





Yet more eye candy: a book on Samuel Marx, a Chicago architect and designer, who designed the New Orleans Museum of Art right near my house when he was a young architecture student (I was surprised to learn). His interiors and furniture from the 30s-50s are fabulous.

A book on letter writing, a dead hobby I once practiced but of which I'm still fond.


Glancing at the back I noticed a glamorous photo of the author. I admit I was a little bit smitten.

Besides, I liked her headings:
"How to Confess Your Undying Love while You're Dying"
"Describing 'Down There'"
"Man to Man"
and my favorite:
"How to Apologize to Your Husband for Being Short with Him as the Housework Continues to Mount."