Book Bucket List | New Series for a New Year!

I've been in a reading rut lately where it's been hard for me to keep reading a new book after starting.  I was looking through books that are coming out in 2014, and a lot of them are the latest in a series.  So here are a few series to start if you need extended reading material.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs was one of the most popular paranormal books in the last couple of years.  The story follows Jacob, a sixteen year old reeling from a recent family tragedy.  On the island of Wales, he comes across an abandoned orphanage and finds clues about what happened to its residents and why they're no longer there. Hollow City is the next book in this series and it comes out on April 14th.  Jacob ends up in London, which is the hotbed of Peculiars.  Unfortunately, Jacob and his friends are at risk again, but this time from a super natural threat.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer is an updated take on the Cinderella story.  Instead of being the downtrodden step sister, Cinder is half android, which makes her a second class citizen.  However, she is unaware of her true identity which turns out to be too dangerous of a secret.  The third book in the series, Cress, is being released this February.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion was a popular title after it's release because it was almost a spoof on teen romance stories like Twilight. (Because honestly, who falls in love with a zombie??)  In a recent interview, Marion said that he set out for Warm Bodies to be a self contained story in a single book, but the world kept expanding in his mind.  In 2014, the sequel to Warm Bodies will be released.  You can also see the film based on the first book, which we have in our collection.

She's Crafty | Renegade Craft Fair!

There were renegades everywhere in San Francisco's Concourse Exhibition Center on December 21 & 22 this year. Renegade indie-crafters and craft lovers, that is. If you have ever been to one of the free Renegade craft fairs, you will know that the San Francisco Renegade Craft Fair Winter Market 2013 was a huge event. Even the title is huge these days. You see, with a fair that's been offered twice a year, every year, and now, in six different locations, you need a number of words to distinguish one Renegade Craft Fair from another.

According to Wikipedia, the first Renegade Craft Fair was held in 2003 at Chicago's Wicker Park (you can see the first poster, down below). That Fair was a success, so they did it again the next year.  Then, in 2005, there was a Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, too. San Francisco joined the Renegades in 2008 with a Summer Fair at Fort Mason, and added a Winter Market in 2009.

RCF Chicago 2003. Original by Mat Daly

A Renegade Craft Fair was held in Los Angeles for the first time in 2009. The next city to join the fun was Austin, Texas, with a Renegade Craft Fair in 2010. Finally, the Renegade Craft Fair has become an international phenomenon with the addition of London to it's list of locations. The first Fair there was held in 2011 at a place called The Old Truman Brewery, and had planned to return in 2013 for a Winter Market.

RCF revelers at the 2013 SF Winter Market

When we entered the Exhibition Center, the sight that met us was at once overwhelming and inviting. There was so much to see, I thought we'd never be able to see it all in the time we had to see it--about 5 hours. However, we made a plan and started in on the left with some food, of course. After a really fresh and wonderful veggie wrap, I was ready to experience the fair up close. 

Beep. I make an efficent and tasty cup of tea. Boop.

Still in the food area, there was a booth offering lots of great loose-leaf artisan teas and some interesting strainers to go with them. Little did I know at the time that I'd be getting a cute little robot strainer with some minty green tea called Madame Morocco (I understand Moroccans love mint in their tea, and now I do too) for Christmas from my very attentive grandson, Andrew.





As we moved on, we stopped at a booth selling art prints by local artists. Although all the prices were reasonable, I found a great way to collect a few prints for only $5--postcards! My favorite is what, at first, just looks like the profile of an elephant swimming in a large body of water under a starry moon-lit sky. Then, when you look closer, you see that the parts of the elephant exposed above water are actually land masses; the tip of a tusk is an island, his head is a rocky promontory, and his back is the beginning of a continent. What a way to get lost in some great art!

At another booth, there were these cork coasters. Quite ordinary looking, until you see they have misunderstood song lyrics printed on them. My favorite here was still the Jimi Hendrix classic, "Scuse me while I kiss this guy," although I found many others to chuckle about. I should have bought them!

Malia here, and if anyone were to ask me to sum up my Renegade Craft Fair experience in two words it would be: absolutely mind-boggling. And since I'm a bit of a rambler, I'd also add: with a touch of euphoria. There is so much to take in! All the people, all the color, all the cool ideas...it's a whirlwind of awesome. And to help me remember what exactly happened in the vortex, I collect business cards at booths that have items I adore but can't purchase. I also take a lot of pictures.

My growing business card haul.

A fun machine with lights on it!

On the subject of actual acquisition of goods, I feel like a bloodhound sifting through all the weird and wonderful trying to find the few items that catch my eye. When almost everything appeals, I attempt to set firm boundaries. When something catches my eye, I admire, ask questions, and roll the price around in my brain. I thank the artist, take a card and move on. I rarely buy on the first pass. I like to go through the entire fair and sit with all the memories for a bit. Those items that I just can't get out of my head become contenders and those items I can actually afford make the cut.

I'm obsessed with these VOZ wooden bracelets!

And every year, without fail, I dream of a booth I might have at a fair like the RCF. What would I call my business? What would be my wares?

The RCF is a wonderland for the senses and as full of inspiration as it is stuff to buy. I definitely recommend a trip!

Until next time,

Kaye & Malia 

Just Life| Are You A Divergent?

Awhile back, at the movie theater, the movie trailer for Divergent caught my eye. "I bet that is based on a book", I mumbled to my husband sitting next to me. Later that day, I checked our library catalog and found out that the movie Divergent is based on a young adult book series by Veronica Roth.

Here is its storyline:

Imagine living in a rigid society that boxes you in one of its 5 factions. At 16, you are forced to to choose your faction. Sometimes that means leaving your family and friends behind to join a new faction. The book follows Beatrice Prior as she prepares to choose her faction.

The book is a bit of an adventure with a sprinkle of romance. It is also the universal story about struggling to fit in and having the overwhelming feeling of being out of place.  

Here are the factions of this society.

• Candor or the honest ones
• Abnegation or the selfless ones
• Dauntless or the brave ones
• Amity or the peaceful ones
• Erudite or the intelligent ones

Which faction do you think you belong to? Or are you a Divergent like Beatrice?

I bought copies of the first two books and at the end of the first book, there is a questionnaire that you can take to find out which faction you belong to.

Apparently, I am a candor. You better find out which faction you belongs to before watching it on March 21, 2014. 

Here are the books in this series (Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant)

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha

Books On Film: Teen In '13 (A Review)

Film adaptations of teen novels, spurred by the success the Twilight movies, haven't slowed down yet. In 2013, we saw the adaptation of Catching Fire, The Host, Beautiful Creatures, Warm Bodies, The Perks of Being A Wallflower, City of Bones, and Ender's Game. 

Which 2013 teen adaptation did you like best?
	Catching Fire
	The Host
	Beautiful Creatures
	The Perks of Being A Wallflower
	Warm Bodies
	City of Bones
	Ender's Game
pollcode.com free polls

In 2014, we will see even more teen books brought to the big screen. For the rest of this month, I will talk about several of the upcoming teen book to film adaptations.

Covers courtesy of LibraryThing.

Learning | L is for Lollygag

A lollygagging dog.
Photo courtesy of Randy Son of Robert's
photostream on Flickr.com.
Some rights reserved.

Every once in a while, I encounter a book that seems to have been written by a kindred soul (or, one might say, a fellow word nerd.)

L is for Lollygag: Quirky Words for a Clever Tongue is such a book.  I remember making lists of words when I was a kid. Some words were cool, some were interesting, and some were hilarious, like lollygag. This book has so many of those words, that I remember putting on those lists, I almost wondered if the authors stumbled across my childhood scrawls. Nah, that couldn't be the case, because my handwriting was downright illegible.  But only a kindred spirit would include words like fiddlesticks, rigamarole, and kit and caboodle for consideration.

As if the words and definitions were not delightful enough, the editors included droll, retro illustrations for the words and phrases (think about those animated interludes on Monty Python's Flying Circus--that's the idea!) 

I checked L is for Lollygag out in November, and I've renewed it a few times already.  I'm enjoying it so much, I know I'll be checking it out again someday, if only to use it as a list to inspire me to look up etymologies, or word origins.

I'll only bore you with one etymology today, from the title: lollygag is an interesting word for those looking up word histories, mainly because we aren't sure what it originally meant.  It did not appear in print until 1868; it seems to have something to do with tongues (lolly is an English word for tongue.)  

As the Wordphiliac entry for lollygag pointed out, it no doubt is somehow related to the expression loll, to have one's tongue hanging out. Of course, gag is a word we associate with mouths, too; think of something to put into somebody's mouth to stop them from talking.  But tongue-gagging is not how we use the word these days; to lollygag is to dawdle or waste time.

She's Crafty | Crafty New Year!

Oh my gosh, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2014 is here already and it feels like I barely got to know 2013.

With the new year comes a heap of resolutions...right? Right. I'm a resolution makin' machine and over the year's I've kept some really important ones so I continue to keep up the tradition. Something about new beginnings that make us stop and take stock of our lives. But that's another post for another time.

My resolutions usually include: read more, exercise more, travel more, quit doing this, definitely stop doing that, play more, smile more...

But I also have a long-list of crafty resolutions:

• I resolve to sew more. 

• I resolve to finish more projects that I start. 

• I resolve to learn more about basic painting techniques. 

• I resolve to keep an art journal.

More goals exist in that lofty, dreamy area of my brain, but these are the ones I feel are most important and attainable.

To help me keep my art journal resolution I found two colorful and thoroughly enticing titles at the library, Art Journal Workshop by Traci Bunkers and Journal Junkies Workshop by Eric M. Scott and David R. Wodler. I also found two thrift books to journal in that I purchased from a Friend's of the Library booksale. Come tomorrow, I'll be ready to start 2014 with my first messy and colorful journal page! I also resolve to post more about art journaling in the new year, so stay tuned for that.

Ohh so colorful and enticing!

Can't wait to dive in!

Do you have any crafty resolutions? Let us know in the comments.

May your 2014 be happy and crafty!

~Kaye & Malia

Just Life | Words Of Wisdom From Our Postcard Wall

I love funny and inspirational postcards. At Chavez library, we have a wall full of them. Here are a few of my favorites postcards:

So what are you waiting for. Call a friend before the New Year.

That is my excuse for having a messy house.

That reminds me that I should think before opening my mouth.
 

Reading is anything but boring.

Happy New Year everyone.
 
Signing off until next year- Panteha

P.S. Send me your old postcards & Christmas Cards and I will make sure to add them to our postcard wall at Chavez.