Anodyne Design » Books

50 Book Challenge: This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen

Shannon — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:30:35 +0000

This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski (*****)
3/50 Amazon

(This is the only book I finished in February. And I took a really long time to make a note of it.) I have had this book since college. While I am sure I read some of it in school, I don’t think I read all of it until recently. It is a collection of short stories about life in a Nazi concentration camp, written by a concentration camp survivor. As with all holocaust literature, it documents atrocities I can scarcely imagine. This particular book does so in an unnervingly mundane way. Borowski writes about small details, like writing a letter to a lover in the next camp over, or listening to the camp orchestra (made up of prisoners who worked in the kitchen), or playing soccer while thousands of others walk to their deaths in the crematoria. Becoming “totally familiar with the inexplicable and the abnormal,” as he describes it, is eerie and unsettling.

Borowski’s words:

But this is how it is done: first just one ordinary barn, brightly whitewashed–and here they proceed to asphyxiate people. Later, four large buildings, accommodating twenty thousand at a time without any trouble. No hocus-pocus, no poison, no hypnosis. Only several men directing traffic to keep operations running smoothly, and the thousands flow along like water from an open tap. All this happens just beyond the anaemic trees of the dusty little wood. Ordinary trucks bring people, return, then bring some more. No hocus-pocus, no poison, no hypnosis.

Why is it that nobody cries out, nobody spits in their faces, nobody jumps at their throats? We doff our caps to the S.S. men returning from the little wood; if our name is called we obediently go with them to die, and–we do nothing. We starve, we are drenched by rain, we are torn from our families. What is this mystery? This strange power of one man over another? This insane passivity that cannot be overcome? Our only strength is our great number–the gas chambers cannot accomodate all of us.

50 Book Challenge: To the Lighthouse

Shannon — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:26:18 +0000

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (****)
2/50 Amazon

This is another book that’s been hanging around for years, and it’s nice to finally knock it off my list. I don’t remember starting to read this book at all, but I found a bookmark two thirds in, so apparently I did read a good part of it before. For whatever reason, it didn’t stick the first time. That probably says more about me than it does about the book. I did find it difficult to get into the book in the beginning, but eventually I found myself involved and caring about what happened next, so I’m glad I kept reading until I reached that point.

To the Lighthouse is unique in that almost entirely written in the subjective. We hear what the characters are thinking and feeling, and about how they see and interpret their environment and the other characters, but we do not get an objective view of what’s really happening. And so through this device, the entire book is a question about reality — which becomes more obvious towards the end. It’s not a question about reality in the way that Henry James approaches it in Turn of the Screw; no one is crazy or unhinged. It reminds me more of what I was thinking about when I read Housekeeping — each of us is a prisoner in our skin, our perceptions are uniquely ours, and although they may overlap with others’ perceptions, they are probably not a perfect fit. And as with Housekeeping, the characters in To the Lighthouse felt very lonely and disconnected to me, being as they were, trapped within themselves. This is a book that’s best read slowly, rich as it is the details of the inner lives of its characters.

Currently Reading:
Stumbling on Happiness – Daniel Gilbert

50 Book Challenge

Shannon — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:51:04 +0000

Every year a good friend of mine blogs about participating in the 50 book challenge, and I think, “I should do that.” But though I read throughout the year, I never get around to blogging about it or keeping track. It’s a new year and a new chance to get started. On top of reading 50 books this year, I am also working on sorting out my book collection. I have a lot of books that I have either never gotten around to reading, started and never finished, or read, but totally forgot I read. I am going to focus on reading these books, although I am sure my attention will stray. Is anyone else doing the 50 book challenge this year?

Here’s my first of fifty:

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (****.5)
Amazon | BookMooch

This is a sad, lonely, lovely book. Thoughtful and clearly written. The language itself, apart from the story, is a pleasure to read. At points, I found it difficult to read more than a few pages at a time. This was primarily towards the end, as Ruthie discusses her thoughts on loneliness, and I think my difficulty came not from the book itself, but from the palpable sense of loneliness it evoked.

Housekeeping reminded me of one of my personal favorite quotes, from Tennessee Williams, “Personal lyricism is the outcry of prisoner to prisoner from the cell in solitary where each is confined for the duration of his life.” Many of the characters in the book seem trapped within themselves, unable to connect. Ruthie and Sylvie seem to understand their isolation, and to connect because of it. From Sylvie’s arrival, boundaries begin to blur in a way that parallels the development of the relationship between Ruthie and Sylvie. The distinction between inside and outside weakens, reality and imagination overlap, and memories and new experiences blend together. I did not anticipate how this book would end, but in retrospect, it ended just as it should.

Currently Reading
To the Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf
Stumbling on Happiness – Daniel Gilbert

Recycling Link Roundup

Shannon — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:00:19 +0000

Thanks to the great response to my post about using recycled packing materials (and marking them with a cool stamp), I’ve decided to share a few reusing and recycling related links.

Fairythreads has a very nice article about recycled packaging, with lots of suggestions for how to incorporated reused materials, or just more earth friendly materials, into your packaging.
G2BGreen has an excellent post about taking reusable bags with you to the store, complete with statistics about the impact of plastic bags and a list of cities that are banning or thinking about banning plastic bags.
Eco-Libris reminds us that every book we read used to be a tree, and thanks to them, we can now plant a tree for every book we read. (You buy Eco-Libris stickers to put on your book, they plant a tree for each one you buy.)
While you’re at it, why buy a new book when you can find a gently loved copy at BookMooch or PaperBackSwap? Recycle books you’ve finished and get new books from someone else’s personal library. I’m already in the middle of reading my first BookMooch book. (Want to know more about why you may want to share books, instead of buying new? Check out Read More, Consume Less.)
Did you know you can recycle the Tyvek envelopes you get from the post office? DuPont, the manufacturer, has a program to recycle them and provides instructions here.

Also, there were some great suggestions in the comments to my last post. Felicia shared that she uses a rubber stamp to put her return address on packages, which saves on labels. And Erin wrote that she uses pretty paper scraps from scrapbooking and other projects to re-cover used padded envelopes. She prints the recipient’s address on white paper and pastes this on top of the decorative paper. Great idea– I bet those envelopes are lovely! Plus, of course, reuse boxes, tissue paper, bubble wrap, and packing peanuts that find their way to you. Thanks for the great suggestions! I’d love to hear any more you may have.

It’s 2008 Already?

Shannon — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 20:09:40 +0000

With all that’s been going on in my life lately, 2008 has snuck up on me. So, 5 days late, I’m thinking about the year ahead and what I would like to do with it. I’ve read other blog posts about resolutions and I think I should set some down, too. It’s easier to get where you’re going if you have an idea of where that is.

Continue to make changes and choices that are healthier for me and the environment.
- I am going to make myself a set of canvas grocery bags, to cut down on plastic waste.
- I am going to continue to try to clean my home with natural ingredients. If you haven’t already, I recommend that you pick up a copy of Michael De Jong’s Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing. It’s a wonderful, affordable little book.
- I will try to use more recycled packaging when I ship my Etsy orders.
- Check out Broomhuggers great eco-friendly suggestions for 2008.
Reach 100 Etsy sales.
Develop a time management plan.
- I have never been particularly good at managing my time. I stay up too late and, consequently, get up too late. (Or get up early because I have to and spend the day exhausted.) I know this directly affects how much I am able to accomplish. I have a lot of personal and professional things I want to accomplish this year, and I already know I can’t do that if I continue to sally forth without a plan. So this year, I’m going to make a plan and follow it.
Finish outstanding 2007 projects before committing myself to new 2008 projects.
- KT’s bag.
- Sheetal’s bag.
- Grandpa’s quilt.
- Double wedding ring quilt.
- That school stuff I don’t like to think about.

Embroidery Stitches (A Book Recommendation)

Shannon — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 13:00:57 +0000

I’ve been getting interested in embroidery lately. Since I’m far away from any relatives who might be able to teach me about embroidery, I’ve had to rely on the local library. Fortunately, I came across this great book, The Complete Illustrated Stitch Encyclopedia, which has a comprehensive collection of stitches and very detailed illustrations and photos to teach you how to do each one. Once you’ve mastered the stitches, the book has a collection of projects that are easy to follow and allow you to try out all your new skills. And the projects are actually ones I want to do.

I love the clarity and thoroughness of this book enough that I’ve let SciFi Man know it would make a great Christmas gift. We’ll see if he got my very subtle hint, “You can buy this on Amazon to give me for Christmas.” (Of course, I give him these hints because I love him, and don’t want to him to struggle to think of what to give me when I can make it easy.) If you are interested in beginning embroidery, or all already familiar but want to learn more, this is a book worth checking out.

Sewing and Craft Books

Shannon — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:00:19 +0000

I’ve been being very good about not sewing anything while I’m supposed to be working on my dissertation. It’s been hard. It seems like the more time passes without creating, the more desperately I want to sneak off and make something. So I’ve been dealing with that by sneaking off and adding new sewing and craft books to my Amazon wishlist. Here are some of the books that I would love to read and play with:

What are your favorite sewing or craft books? Are there any on my list you would or would not recommend? What books are on your wishlist?

Crafty Business Tips

Shannon — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 13:00:15 +0000

Adorn magazine’s blog is having a little giveaway. They are giving away Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business by Meg Mateo Ilasco to 5 lucky people who comment on the blog entry. The catch? Each commenter must leave a “crafty business tip” in order to enter. What’s cool about this is that Adorn has quickly generated a nice collection of tips for any crafter running a business or planning to start one. Be sure to check out the complete list and enter the giveaway yourself, but here are a few of my favorite tips so far:

Build a lightbox (these can be cheap and easy!) for your photography. Good photographs can make a huge difference in how people see your products, and whether they buy them.
Use or wear your own merchandise. (And keep extras with you, so when someone admires what you’re wearing/using, you’re ready to show them more and sell on the spot!) Plus, why wouldn’t you want to use your own awesome creations?
Communicate promptly and warmly with your customers. Distinguish yourself from other businesses by adding that personal touch that goes hand in hand with handmade goods.
Promote, promote, promote. There are so many crafty businesses out there–how can you get your product seen? Start a blog, join flickr, become active in crafting communities. The bonus here is that (hopefully) you’re becoming involved in communities that are satisfying to you beyond just being a way to get yourself known.
Always carry your business cards with you. You never know when you’ll need one.
Be passionate about what you’re creating, and don’t just follow trends. Make what you love because you love it–that will last longer than what’s in style this season.

Do you have more tips for being/becoming a successful crafty business? I’d love to hear them (and if you want to win that book, you’ll probably want to share them over at Adorn, too.)

Reading Material

Shannon — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 20:31:00 +0000

Playing around with Bloggers “Next Blog” feature this afternoon inadvertently led me to find a slew of books on Amazon that I’ve added to my list of books I need to read (probably to the detriment of my poor little dissertation.) Somehow, I ended up on a blog that mentioned The Wisdom of Crowds, which sent me off to Amazon to gather more information. Amazon then suggested several other books I might like, and several more once I clicked on those. Maybe I’m feeling highly suggestible today, but I added a bunch of them to my wish list to remember for later. Here are some of the books I’ve added to my to-be-read list:

Clean: Zen Cleansing

Shannon — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 21:48:00 +0000

I got a new little book this week that I’m pretty excited about. It’s Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing by Michael de Jong. I put it on my Amazon wishlist awhile ago, not wanting to pay for it myself and not expecting anyone to buy it for me, but also not wanting to forget about it. Unexpectedly, my husband ordered it for me. (What a sweetheart. :))

It’s about cleaning mindfully. Or in other words, being present while you are cleaning, being aware of what you’re doing when you clean, and the impact cleaning has on yourself and your environment. As opposed to mindlessly cleaning (which has its charms sometimes, too.) In terms of being mindful of the effect your cleaning has on your environment, this book present an alternative to cleaning with harsh chemicals, which aren’t any good for the soil or the water, and probably aren’t good for your health, either. I’ve always wondered when I spray my kitchen counters with a bottle of some random “cleaning” chemical what sort of residue is going to end up on and in my food.

De Jong’s alternatives to chemical cleaning are the “five elements of Zen Cleansing:” baking soda, borax, lemon, salt, and white vinegar. I frequently eat 4 of those elements, so I’m guessing they are less harmful for me and the planet. And from what this little book says, I can clean anything with them! I’m excited to start tackling my stains more naturally.

This book is certainly not high literature. But it is a fun, brief, engaging discussion of cleaning. And it provides loads of tips for how to use each element alone and combined with the others to clean just about everything you might ever need to clean, from rings in your tub to dirty mudflaps on your truck.