To Read: February Edition

We’re in the throes of winter up here in Chicago. The days are getting longer, but they’re not long yet. You can still see a sliver of sunshine when you leave the office, but night will have fallen before your bus completes the 20-minute journey home. The sun manages to peek through the clouds some days, but the snow still has a mind of its own. (I love the snow though, so I won’t complain about that one.) You’ve worn out your entire collection of sweaters, but you can’t fathom walking outside with any sliver of skin exposed. Despite all of the less than glamorous aspects of the late-January (almost-February) Chicago winter, there’s nothing better than hanging around the house in your not-for-public-viewing (aka kind of grungy) grandma sweats with a book in hand and the snow making a scene outside the window. And maybe some hot chocolate with the tiny marshmallows. Because the tiny marshmallows are the best.

For February, I’ve got a few more books from my long-term Holds lists in my queue and I’m excited to finally get to dive into these beauties. So grab your own book and mug of hot chocolate and let’s get to this. Happy reading, folks!

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Mixing It Up

Space is limited in my apartment, so design and functionality have to be one and the same. That can create some aesthetic challenges, but it also creates some interesting opportunities. Enter: books as art. I love the idea of optical illusion shelving and some of the more visually creative storage ideas, but the stone walls of my Chicago apartment–circa 1928–make those ideas kind of difficult to realize at the moment. So until we reunite with drywall, I’ll dream of these fun ways to turn my books into wall art and my wall art into useful shelving.

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To Read: January Edition

Hey guys! Finally back on the bandwagon! After a shamingly long time (and one forgotten password later), we are back to rocking and rolling! This month (or really these last two weeks of the month), I’m finally hoping to tackle two books that I’ve had on my library Holds list since before Christmas. And the weather is looking promisingly awful this weekend, so I’m hoping for lots of cozy couch time. And lots of reading snacks. Because those are sometimes definitely the best part. Happy reading, folks!

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