As an artist, much of my inspiration comes from books. I know many other artists who are the same way. Literature has the power to create such a vivid image in the mind of the reader, to render the mental image onto paper or canvas is almost irresistable, for me at least. An excellent example of an artist inspired by a book is the recent display at the Loveland Museum and Gallery of Salvador Dali’s illustrations of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. Dali illustrated every stanza of the Divine Comedy, which must have taken a considerable amount of time, whereas I usually have only one piece of art inspired for a book. Here at Anthology, we have a wealth of novels and books on many subjects sure to inspire the inner artist in anybody. Are you one of those people that are assured that they have a creativity deficiency? I personally believe that every person, whether they know it or not, has at least some untapped creative potential, albeit in the deepest part of their being. At Anthology, we have something to inspire everyone, whether you are the seasoned artist, beginner, or the creatively deficient. In our art section we have many books of collections of some of the most famous artists of all time, including Michelangelo, Rembrandt, or Picasso. Some of my favorite books on art are not the collections, but the books intended to inspire or jumpstart the creative process. “The Artist’s Way”, by Julia Cameron is a wonderful resource to help discover your own spiritual path to creativity. We also have “Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters” by Robert Hale, where you can learn the techniques of Da Vinci, Goya, and other master artists. For the people itching to do something creative but just don’t know where to start, I recommend “Coloring Mandalas” by Susanne Fincher. In this color book, the outlines of mandalas (symmetrical, usually radial designs, used by the Buddhist tradition to support spiritual healing and well being) are already created; all you have to do is fill in the color for a potentially beautiful design of your own. We’ve also got some awesome books filled with the work of local artists. “Sculpture in the Rockies” showcases some of the best sculptors around, located right here in Colorado. John Fielder also has some great books in our store that highlight his impeccable talent to capture the majesty of the mountains and ranches of Colorado. Anyone interested in another local artist’s work, myself, can view my artwork on Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/mfredric88 under the heading “photos”. Thanks for reading and have a lovley weekend!
Author Archives: anthologybookco
Poetry
Since it is a slow day here at Anthology, I feel this would be an appropriate time to write a blog. Poetry. So much can be said about poetry. Poetry comes in many forms. The sonnet, song, haiku, and prose are only a few. Poetry often contains rhyme, metaphor, or alliteration, but not always. Poetry, I think, is almost as old as language itself. Some of the oldest poetry that comes to mind is Homer’s Odyssey, the Psalms of the Old Testament, or even the ancient Hindu Vedas. For me, almost nothing speaks as much to the human soul as poetry. Poetry, as is all art, is appreciated and interpreted in the eye of the beholder. It has the power to bring joy, emanate love, sadness, or any other range of emotion either intended by the author or not. But above all, I feel that poetry has the power to transform the consciousness of the reader and the author. Many poets speak of the healing and meditative effects of composing and reading poetry. From experience I have discovered that poetry can be created in a sort of automatic fashion, growing straight from the subconscious mind, to manifest thought or emotion that cannot always be expressed by the rational mind. Poems are always subject to interpretation. Poems, like dreams, can have layers of interpretation. The initial reaction of the reader is almost always different when the poem is read again, at a different pace, different time or in a different light. I find that the meaning of poems often shifts when read more than once. So the meaning of a poem is a plastic, malleable concept, limited only by the consciousness of the reader. From my perspective, poetry is a very noble and beautiful art form, limited only by the human imagination, which the collective history and experience of, has proven to be infinite. I encourage all readers, whether you consider yourself to be a poetry reader or not, to occasionally dive head first into a poem. It is a much smaller commitment than a novel, and you just never know, it may change your whole perspective of life.
To end here, I will quote one of my favorite poems:
Ring the bells that still can ring,
Forget your perfect offering,
There is a crack in everything,
That’s how the light gets in.
-Leonard Cohen
Have a wonderful weekend!
Online Resources for Book Lovers
The internet is awash with websites having to do with books, for books, and about books. I have yet to actually read a book on my iTouch because I cannot bear the thought of not having the feel and smell of a physical book in my hand. I have downloaded a few classics in case I am without a book and I’m standing in line at the grocery store. I haven’t actually made the effort to read an e-book though.
I won’t bore you, dear readers, with my paper-in-hand philosophies but I will tell you of magical places on the internet where I like to go. There are three websites that I frequent regularly that have helpful advice to support my book addiction.
The first website is http://www.Goodreads.com. This website is dedicated to helping you keep track of what you read. You can also review the books you read and invite all of your bibliophile friends to see what you’ve read. Maybe you would like to keep track of what you would like to read. Goodreads provides you with a personal queue of the hundreds of thousands of books you want to read in your lifetime. Goodreads is a magical place where book lovers can frolic in recommendations or join specific forums for topics that interest them. The website is free. There are advertisments but let me tell you that they are not obnoxious. You don’t even really notice they are there because they are book related.
The second website is http://www.LibraryThing.com. This for the hard core bibliophile who cannot ignore the urge to catalog and catergorize their entire personal library. Like Goodreads, it connects you to other people who share your similar interests in books. If you have anti-social tendencies and don’t care who shares your interest in similar books, LibaryThing can be an online resource you use store the soft copy version of your library. I live for organizing my books. All 2,518 of them. LibraryThing helps me manage this addiction. Let’s talk prices. You can store up to 200 titles for free. An annual membership is $10 per year. The lifetime membership $25and there is no limit to how many books you can add. It really is a lovely place to utilize.
Now to complete the trilogy of booklover websites. LibriVox.com is a website dedicated to bringing readers the audio version of books that have passed their copyright (pretty much anything before 1923). These recordings are available to listen to for free. These recordings are read by average people like you and me who volunteer their time and voice. Someday when my two year old allows me to have some free time I will volunteer my own voice.
I would LOVE to learn about some of the websites that our readers utilize when it comes to their reading habits. Happy reading!
Book Review: "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery
Where do I start when it comes to discussing this book? I will start at the part where I was told this book may change my life. I was also informed that this book was philosophical. Now, I’m not sure about life changing but I’m sure that I have a not-so-secret admiration for Philosophy so I gave this book a chance.
This book is a French book translated to English. I am not French. This may be a cultural handicap that may have hindered my full comprehension of the uniqueness of this book. I guess what I’m trying to say is that this book was not as profound as I had expected it to be. Since I am very self aware there were not that many “aha” moments. There were, however, some great points about beauty.
“You eat the way you look at a beautiful painting or sing in a beautiful choir. Niether too much or too little, moderate, in good sense of the word.”
I hold an Art History degree but even as an art lover I have struggled with the concept of what art and beauty play in daily life. Oprah may tell you that it’s the small things in life. In the case of Paloma, beauty is a rosebud that falls onto a counter and taking in the essence of that delicate fall. As far as the philosophy in this book I was disappointed. While some argue that it was too philosophical I would have liked more philosophizing.
I had a hard time empathizing with Paloma. I don’t sympathize with sucidal characters. But I can relate to being a 12 year old that thinks too much about the world around her. I was pleased with her decision in the end. I very much enjoyed Renee. Being an audiodidact myself and growing up less than wealthy I related to Renee. It was because of her that I enjoyed the book.
I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars which is the rating for an average book on Danine’s scale of rating books. I would recommend this book but I would recommend reading “Sophie’s World” by Jostein Gaarder before “The Elegance of the Hedgehog”.
Here are a few memorable quotes:
“But if you dread tomorrow, it’s because you don’t know how to build the present, and when you don’t know how to build the present you tell yourself you can deal with it tomorrow, and it’s a lost cause anyway because tomorrow always ends up becoming today, don’t you see?” -Renee
“I won’t get any better by punishing people I can’t heal.” -Paloma
Anthology will be happy to check our inventory for “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” or “Sophie’s world”. If you would like to place an order with us here is the info that will help us place your order.
1. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. ISBN: 1933372605. Paperback. $15.00
2. Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder. ISBN: 0374530718. Paperback. $12.00.
Have you read either of these books? What did you think?
New Books and Old Books
While shelving books at the bookstore I am always aware of what is happening beyond the shelf where I am shelving. I’m listening for the phone or I am listening for customors who might need help finding a specific book or author. I am aware of sound and conversations. In other words, I’m alert to our guests at the bookstore.
One evening while I was shelving books in the Fiction section I overheard two young boys briskly talking. (I can hear my grandpa calling them whipper snappers). One boy said to the other, “These are old and used books. I don’t think they would have it.” Before I could ask them if I could help them on their book quest they had quickly left the store. In that flash of an instant, I had a childhood flashback. A positive flashback. I was taken back to my living room whereI was watching an after school special of some kind that involved a scruffy but literate cat. The cat was explaining that even though a book is a used, or pre-read, it is new to the person who has never read it before.
This tidbit of knowledge was groundbreaking for a pre-teen sitting way too close to the T.V. eating Lucky Charms. I sat there agape in this revelation. It made sense! It was an epiphany that launched me into the wonderful wide world of books. No, books didn’t have to have shiney covers to be good books. To this day I prefer the dog eared books. I prefer books that contain underlined passages and side notes. I want to get into the psychology of the previous readers. I want to know the life that this book has endured. I want a book with a personal history. Most of all I want the book to feel love when it is placed under may care whether it be for a week or a lifetime.
Moral of the blog entry: A used book is a new book to you if you have not read it. Experience new books. Anthology has hundreds!
A poetry book from London July 11, 1968
I adore poetry and am always on the look out for my new inspiration of life. Of course there are always the originals: Mr. Poe, Frost and Miss Plate, but I wanted to discover someone. But desires like this don’t always come when you are looking and waiting, but when you have no desire to pick up a book of poetry.
I discovered Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s The Unicorn And Other Poems the way I usually discover books and authors I have never read: Shelving at Anthology. :) This fantastic hard cover has a dust jacket cover of magnificent character, which is what always first catches the eye. I have seen copies of this book before and also have had the opportunity to read/buy the book before, but like I said before, you cannot control when it is or isn’t the right time to experience the pages of a book.
I began to read the book last night and became completely captivated by, what is now, one of my favorite poems. The Unicorn (as refered to by the title) has an ideal thought projected and a strange reflection occured for me. The unicorn has been captured yet is free. The whole concept of attitude is what this fine poem is stitched with. There is physical and there is spiritual. It is a brilliant concept that is forgotten and sometimes forsaken in this day and age. I am grateful that it was brought to my attention and to my heart once more.
A Final Cry is another poem that I have never had the pleasure of reading before but it has forever left a mark. The poem is about life and how minuscule time really is for the human race. The last line says all and should always be remembered:
Praise life, O man,
While yet you can.
Poetry has always been a huge part of my soul and I have so much gratitude toward the Force that brings forth inspiration and creative thought into our lives. Poetry, and in particular the book The Unicorn And Other Poems by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, does it for me. What does it for you?
The Minds of Children BECAUSE of Books
There is a place inside every books store and every library that I can’t wait to explore. The section in which young minds find magic, hope, adventure and the answer to the most important question: You are not alone.
The Children’s Books. I adore this section most of all because it is the most influential, the most colorful and the most passionate, in my opinion. Where else do you find the literature that will make, break or change the future? Children are what will keep this Earth turning and bring forth new ideas inspired from the past and present to the future.
From books like Matilda by Ronald Dahl to Green Angel by Alice Hoffman, I believe that the very ideals and essences of these pages influence in such a way that is to inspire any child to soar and believe in something bigger than themselves and also how to teach their hearts to grow in love and respect for all as well as themselves. There is a depth there that no adult can touch, a world that is all there own.
Some begin with classics like Black Beauty, others with the very early picture-learning books by the ingenius Dr. Seuss. Whatever introduction to the great and magical world of books (Mine was the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine. :O) ) there will be that ONE book or that ONE series that will mold and frame their lives forever. Those are the books I am interested in reading, studying and experiencing most of all. May our children experience the most precious and essential conclusions for life to be fully, happily and completely lived: To feel known, understood and strong in a world that is created by and only for them. That is where true growth breathes and lives!
