Creative Saturday - Art Journaling

art journaling
Sometimes all I need to calm my soul is to create. It can be anything - it can be a scrapbook layout, putting photos in pocket pages, making DIY embellishments, watching people create on youtube, stamping, journaling, planning.. anything at all, really. Today, I felt like doing something a bit messy - so I went with art journaling. And I thought why not share how I go about it here.

I start with a blank page. I put down the very first layer - usually this is watercolour, but quite often it is also a simple layer of various bits and pieces of papers. After that layer is dry, I add some texture to it. Today, I decided to add white (and pink and blue) dots, by just dabbing some cotton buds in paint, and then onto the paper.



After that is done (and dried - later on I call my hair dryer to help, because I am not the most patient person), I put some colourful splashes, and a bit of pink layer to the left top, and let that dry. This splattering is very random - I just flick the brush and go with whatever that creates.



While this is drying, I fussy cut a flower from one of my 6x6 paper pads, as well as have a look through my magazine cut-outs box, to find a suitable picture to go with this spread.



Found it! Now, I stick these down, using a strong glue - I don't want these pictures to fall off the next day. 
The next step is to write down my 'title'. For this spread, I chose the following, and wrote it out using my tim holtz waterbrush, and some blue ink I found in my stash. 


Then I add my date, using the Papyrus alphabet stamp. I love this thing, although I might prefer it a bit smaller. I also put in my journaling. 




The last thing I have to do is to add a bit of contrast colour. And I do that by putting that dark blue ink on the left side of the camera picture, spreading it out, so as to not have it as one big dark area, by adding little lines. 


And the finished page spread....


And a little look at my dirty hands as I wave goodbye! 


Thanks for reading, everyone! I hope you have a great Saturday, and don't forget to do something creative in your busy day.














Knižní Šifra 2..

knižní šifra
..aneb jak se březen stal měsícem, kdy neřeším nic jiného.


Pokud máte jen trochu rádi knihy, a ještě pořád nevíte, co to ta Knižní šifra, ze které všichni šílí, je, asi poslední měsíc žijete někde v jeskyni uprostřed ničeho (proč ne, taky to má svoje kouzlo). Ale kdyby přeci jen... 

Knižní šifra je internetová soutěž od (samozřejmě) knihkupectví Martinus, ve které jde o nalezení všech knih schovaných na obrázku. Tento rok je již druhým, kdy tato soutěž probíhá. Můžete vyhrát hoooodně knih, ale hlavně si můžete ověřit, kolik toho z knižního světa opravdu víte. A to je podle mého na šifře to nejlepší. 
Soutěž trvá po celý měsíc březen, takže pokud jste se o ní dozvěděli až teď, ještě stále se můžete zapojit. Ale ujistěte se nejdřív, že v životě nemáte nic, co nejste ochotni jen tak nechat na chvíli být, protože Knižní šifra vás dostane a pohltí, a tak trochu vás donutí zapomenout na realitu. 
Autorem obrazu je Martin Bajaník, a je prostě skvělý. Četla jsem rozhovor s ním, a prý že nás to bude víc bavit, když to nebude úplně jasné. No tak teda jo.. 


Pár příkladů toho, co Knižní šifra s vaším životem udělá:

Když byla odkrytá asi jen tři nebo čtyři políčka, před seminářem jsme se spolužáky řešili, co to sakra je za knížku s tou kachnou. Samozřejmě jsme na to nestihli přijít, a tak, když přišel i profesor, museli jsme ho zapojit. Snažili jsme se a snažili, hodiny na zdi tikaly, a pan profesor už že by teda jako rád začal s dnešním tématem, ale že teda opravdu neví o knížce s kachnou, pokud to není Ošklivé káčátko. Po chvíli spolužačka usoudila, že to není kachna, ale pelikán - no jasně, vždyť kachna přece nemá takový zobák! Jakmile se zjistilo, že kachna vlastně vůbec není kachnou, ale pelikánem, pan profesor oznámil jméno knihy, autora, a jeho názor na film, mobilní verze šifry konečně zasvítila zeleně a odpověď mi zhltla, a přednáška mohla začít. 

Po této epizodě se najednou displeje telefonů většiny mých spolužáků rozsvítily červeně s logem Martinus, a už to jelo. Vzájemně jsme si radili, ztěžovali si, vztekali se, jásali, a tak vlastně se chovali jako normální dospělí lidé, kteří luští šifru. 

Pak se odkrylo políčko s ďáblem a kalamářem.. ale jasně, že to nebyla Smlouva s ďáblem, vždyť to by bylo moc jednoduché. A já na to prostě nemohla a nemohla přijít! (A to jsem knihu četla, a mám ji doma v knihovně, ale to jsem v tu chvíli pořád ještě nevěděla)
Tak jsem tak jednou v noci nemohla spát, přemýšlím, a přemýšlím a... mám to! Vždyť je to přece úplně jasné! Jak mi to mohlo tak dlouho trvat. No, ale než jsem se vyhrabala z peřin, do kterých jsem byla zamotaná, abych si to zadala do telefonu, tak jsem to samozřejmě zapomněla. A prostě jsem si vzpomenout nemohla. Já vím, není to normální, ale taky už nejsem nejmladší, tak mi prostě občas něco z hlavy uteče. Vztekání, vztekání, snaha si vzpomenout, a trochu víc vztekání. 
Naštěstí mě můj mozek má přece jen trochu rád, a o knize se mi zdálo, takže ihned po probuzení jsem rychle naťukala název do telefonu, a jo! zelená zprávička, že kniha v obrazu opravdu je. 


Samozřejmě jsem musela nakazit všechny aspoň trochu čtenáře v mém okolí, protože přece nebudu trpět sama. Tudíž kdykoli jsem se s někým tento měsíc sešla (a že to zas tolikrát nebylo, musím přeci luštit, na takové věci jako sednout si na kafe nemám čas!), moje první otázka nebyla "Jak se máš?" ale "Jak jde šifra? Kolik jich už máš? Já teda fakt nevím, co má znamenat ta..." 
A jelikož mám kolem sebe samé dobré a úžasné lidi, tak jim to vůbec nevadilo, a moc rádi to se mnou rozebírali ze všech stran (nevím teda, jestli pak nepotřebovali sezení u psychologa, ale žádná faktura mi zatím nepřišla). 

A tak nám zbývá ještě necelý týden na luštění a hledání, pokud nejste úplně geniální tak třeba ještě máte jeden bonus na vyřešení, a samozřejmě se můžete zapojit i do soutěže omalovánek, a vybarvovat plakát šifry, pokud už máte doluštěno. Je vlastně super, že ten omalovánkový plakát je, protože něco antistresového při Knižní šifře opravdu bodne. 



Grief Is the Thing with Feathers | Book Review

book review
written by Max Porter

'That Love Crow is all there is, 
Is all we know of Love Crow;
It is enough, the freight Crow should be
Proportioned to the groove. Crow
Emily Dickinson'

✮✮✮✮

This is the first book from the pen of Max Porter, who otherwise works in publishing. It is a piece of experimental fiction, and therefore not for everybody. Although I wish everybody would go and read it nevertheless.


In a little over one hundred pages (114, to be precise) we are told the story of a family who have recently lost their mother. The father, a Ted Hughes scholar (crow, anybody?), and his two sons. They're all falling apart, in their own way. One day, the house is visited by Crow, because after all, crows are the symbol of death and mourning, and grief.
The Crow doesn't leave though - instead, she stays, and she guides the family through their grief. The Crow is at the centre of everything.  She is there when the father tries to finish his book on Ted Hughes and his crow, and she is there to babysit the boys. Almost like a mother, protecting her nest. You can never tell, not even after finishing the book, whether Crow is an actual thing, or just a trick of imagination, and although I know some people hate to not know, for me personally this is the best way to go with a story.
I can't really say much more without giving away the whole story. A little about the style, though..

It's written in three voices, divided into three parts. The three parts stand for the situation in which the family and the Crow find themselves - A Lick of Night, Defence of the Nest, Permission to Leave.
The three voices from whose perspectives we read are that of the boys, the Crow, and the father. A little into the story the voices of Crow and the father start to entwine and merge, and it takes focus to see which is which - and still you cannot always decide.
Personally, I found Max's style to be close to brilliant. He twists your brain and your perception, without making you feel frustrated.


My absolutely favourite part of the book:
The Crow tells the boys that there is going to be a competition, and whoever wins will be granted the real mother to put them to bed that night. The task is to try to recreate their mother as convincingly as they can, using whatever materials they please. One of the boys recreates his mother from all sorts of things like toys, and stationary, and books lined on the floor, the other boy draws her. And then they keep asking Crow to tell them, who won? Who will get the real mother back? And Crow starts laughing, and laughing a bit more, because how could the boys believe something so silly as bringing a dead mother back?

Brilliant writing and brilliant themes, this book is a must read. Although I do recommend reading The Crow poetry collection by Ted Hughes first. Just a tip.




Ketchup Clouds | Book Review

book review
written by Annabel Pitcher

(the English version of this review is down below)
Moc děkuji knihkupectví Martinus za zaslání výtisku Kečupová mračna. 

✮✮✮✮


Už je to pár měsíců, co jsem četla nějakou young adult knihu. Poslední, kterou jsem četla, mě natolik odradila, že jsem si řekla, že nám trocha pauzy neuškodí. Ale o Kečupových mračnech mi mí kamárádi čtenáři, s podobným vkusem jako mám na knihy já, tolik básnili, že jsem prostě neodolala, a řekla si, že téhle knize šanci dám. A nelituju. Rozhodně vám doporučuju si tuhle knihu pořídit - je originální, a nepředvídatelná, a s hlavní hrdinkou se hned spřátelíte. Díky, Annabel, za jedinečný čtecí zážitek, a důkaz, že young adult knihy nejsou všechny na jedno brdo. 

Hlavní hrdinkou Kečupových mračen je teenager na střední škole, Zoe, která sní o kariéře spisovatele. Což ale neschvaluje její máma, která by byla radši, kdyby Zoe byla právničkou. My se se Zoe seznámíme ve chvíli, kdy začne své noci trávit v kůlně na zahradě jejich domu, psaním dopisů. Komu? Vrahovi, který sedí v cele smrti v Texasu. Zoe mu píše z falešné adresy, pod falešným jménem, ale psát potřebuje, jelikož je to to jediné v jejím životě, co jí trochu drží nad vodou. Prostě se potřebuje někomu vypsat. Někomu, kdo ji pochopí. Píše tomuto panu Harrisovi o tom, co udělala, a co nemůže říct nikomu jinému, než jemu. Pokud chcete vědět, co že to Zoe provedla, a jak to všechno skončí, musíte si knihu přečíst (a nebudete litovat!). 



Vždycky jsem měla trochu slabost pro knihy ve formě dopisů. Je na nich něco, co mě dokáže vtáhnout do děje, a díky čemu mám pocit, že autor dopisů a já, čtenář, jsme jedna osoba. Cítím se v centru dění, a to někdy natolik, že zapomenu, že nemůžu ovlivnit to co se děje. A když se pak proberu do světa reality, jsem dost naštvaná. Obdivuju spisovatele, kteří tohle se mnou dokáží udělat. 
Když jsem si zažádala o knihu v knihkupectví Martinus, netušila jsem ještě, že je tahle kniha psaná ve formě dopisů. Nějak mi o tom všichni ti, kteří knihu vychvalovali, zapomněli říct. Ale budiž jim odpuštěno, jelikož jsem byla ještě o trošku víc nadšená, a nemohla se ještě trochu víc dočkat chvíle, kdy budu moct začít číst. 
V jednu chvíli, asi na straně 60 nebo tak nějak, jsem se bála, že Kečupová mračna budou jednou z těch knich, ve které bude nesnesitelný vyumělkovaný milostný trojúhelník. Bála jsem se, že se Zoe zamotá do typického dva kluci jedna holka koloběhu, a že opustí příběh, kvůli kterému jsem knihu četla. Ale nestalo se tak, a v tu chvíli jsem možná předvedla vítězný tanec s knihou v ruce - fotodokumentace neexistuje, uf. 

Další skvělá věc v téhle knize: Zoe má dvě sestry, a já bych hrozně chtěla, aby Dot, ta nejmladší, byla mojí sestrou! Je naprosto dokonalá, vtipná, a rozkošná, a já se vždycky chtěla naučit znakovou řeč, tak bych teď aspoň musela, a konečně to udělala.
Jediná věc na téhle knize, která mě ze začátku trochu rozčilovala, byl způsob psaní Zoe. Přišlo mi, že je to možná až moc dětinské, a že by takhle teenager přece nepsal. ALE, ve chvíli, kdy jsem se do příběhu pořádně dostala, jsem si na to nějak zvykla, a už mi to tolik nepřišlo. A když jsem o knize přemýšlela pár dnů po dočtení, usoudila jsem, že už jsem jen věkově moc daleko od mých teenage let, a už si nepamatuju, jak jsem sama jednou psala.
Rozhodně tuto knihu doporučuju. Všem. A hodně.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I haven't read a young adult novel in a while, since the last one that got into my hands was predictable in just about every way. However, when four of my friends who all have similar reading taste to mine (amazing, of course) told me to read it, because they all loved it, I had to give it a go. And I regret nothing. If you're deciding whether to give this one a chance or not, do read it. It's original, and unlike any other ya book I've read in terms of storyline and protagonist. You go, Annabel!

The protagonist is a teenager in secondary school, dreaming of becoming a writer, which isn't really what her mum wants - she wants her daughter to be a prosperous lawyer. Zoe starts spending her night in a barn next to their house, writing letters. To whom? To a murderer on a death row in Texas. She doesn't tell him where she's from, writes under a fake name, from a fake address. But these letters are all that's keeping her sane. She writes to this man, mr. Harris, telling him everything she feels guilty of, and that she can't tell anybody else. And if you want to know what Zoe has done, and what the end of this story is, you'll have to read the book.



I have always liked epistolary novels. There is just something about them that makes you feel as if you and the writer of the letters were one person. It makes you feel included - and that's something I admire about writers who can make you feel that way. When I requested this book from martinus.cz, I wasn't aware of the fact that it was written in the form of letters (somehow, my friends forgot to mention that). So when I opened the book, and discovered that it was in fact an epistolary novel, I was even more excited.
There was a time, when I reached page 60 or so, that I was afraid there would be a love triangle. You know, that horrible, cheesy, too unrealistic two guys one girl. And I was worried that Zoe would become so engrossed in this that we, the readers, would lose the storyline we were actually interested in. But it didn't happen, and I was so happy I actually might have done a victory dance. With the book in my hand. No photos of this available.

Zoe also has two sisters- and let me just say this: Can Dot be my sister? She is so adorable, and I've always wanted to learn sign language, so I'm ready!
The only thing that bugged me a little bit at the beginning was that I found it strange for a teenager to write like this. It felt a bit childish. BUT, once I got into the story, this feeling left me, and later I realised that I might just be too far away from my teenage years to remember what a teenager writes like. So, overall, I recommend this book. A lot.

A Little Life | book review

a little life
written by Hanya Yanagihara



It took me a few weeks after I finished this book to find the strength to sit down and write my thoughts and feelings. This book gave me a book hangover, big time. And it's not the length of the book, or the actual size and weight of the hardback edition I read, nor is it solely the fact that the inside of the book is brutal, overwhelming, sad, petrifying at times, and maybe most importantly - definitely NOT a happy book (If you are on page 300 while reading this, stop, and go back to your book, you'll see). I think this book leaves you with a bit of an after-taste.. you know it, it's not too bad, but you wash it down with water anyway, but it still doesn't help, and it keeps reminding you of its existence every now and again throughout the day? That kind of after-taste. Although this one lasts more like three weeks than a day. YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY READ THIS BOOK, THOUGH. 


There are two main characters, two semi-main characters, and approximately three not-so-main-but-still-damn-important characters. Four guys, who met in college and kept their friendship going strong, telling you the story of their current lives. They're all based in New York, however, the city, the state and the scenery change a lot throughout the story. 
Did I mention the story is long? Because A LOT of things happen - I have no idea how the author did it. Once I finished the book, it felt as if all the pieces that didn't really click before suddenly created the most beautifully heart-breaking mosaic (pardon the adverbs and adjectives, but if there is a moment for exaggeration, this is it). The story can feel a bit all over the place, at times, but in the end, it all makes sense and you as the reader can see why that is. 
The story of Jude, who is the main main guy in this book, takes a long time to unravel, it in fact takes the whole of the book to do so. At first I thought.. aha, it's going to be sad, but he'll find his happy place in the world. And he sure does. For a while. I didn't expect his story to hurt so much, though. And damn it, Hanya, did you have to do the thing you did? I mean, I do realise it gives the story a seasoning of authenticity, and it takes the rose-coloured glasses away from fiction, but... then again, you yourself (through one of your characters) said: 

What he knew, he knew from books, and books lied, they made things prettier.

(Not this one, trust me.)
Maybe you only wanted to show your own character that there are books now that do not make things prettier. 

This is a book about love, and life, and struggle, and happiness, and hopelessness, and anything else you want it to be. Most importantly, though, it is a book about friendship - the beauty and the pain of it. 






a day in the life of a bookdragon (or two)

a day in the life of
Exam period is finally over which means I get to do fun things again. Like reading, and having time to meet with people who also like reading. One such person is Jane, from What Jane Read, who is always so nice to see. And not only because she loves everything I love.
We had breakfast together on Saturday, took photos, discussed books and Alan Rickman, and afterwards we visited a second-hand bookshop, which is always a good idea. 

Welcome to the photo documentation of what a day in the life of a bookdragon looks like.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tak mi konečně skončilo zkouškové, což znamená, že mám konečně čas na zábavnější věci, než je každodenní umírání u skript. Po měsíci si zase můžu číst, aniž bych se cítila provinile, a scházet se s lidmi, kteří chápou moje čtecí obsese. Takovým člověkem je Jana z blogu What Jane Read, kterou vždycky vidím moc ráda, a nejen proto, že má stejnou představu jako já o tom, jak by taková sobota měla vypadat. 
Posnídaly jsme spolu v Avion Street Café (moc pěkná a příjemná kavárnička v Holešovicích), fotily jsme, povídaly si o knížkách a Alanu Rickmanovi (díky čemuž jsme kavárnu minuly a musely se vracet), a po snídani a dvou cappuccinech jsme ještě zašly do antikvariátu u Máje. 

Tady jsou nějaké fotky dokumentující jak vlastně vypadá takový den knižního dráčka (protože knihomol zní tak negativně, a navíc, my knihy rozhodně neprožíráme - jen žereme). 










all the books I am not reading

I just want to read
//česká verze textu je pod anglickým - a to jen kvůli mručení Jane// 

In the celebration of me getting back to my blog (hopefully with regular posts and updates this time), I thought - what a better way to get back into the swing of things than by telling you all about the books I am not reading. 

For me, it is currently the exam period. Which means, this year unlike all the previous ones, when 'exam period' was a code-word for holidays and an occasional stop at school to pass/fail/pass (and any combination of those), a lot of time spent (wasted, depends on the perspective) reading texts and books about syntax, teaching, history of English, and other very exciting subjects. What changed? Well, 

a) I became a responsible adult-ish human being (do not recommend, it can be very painful)
b) I am applying for a masters degree in a foreign country
c) in that country, they care about your average grade
d) better late than never? we'll see

Therefore, I have approximately zero point zero time to read for pleasure. So far this year, I have read five books, out of which one was a research book for my thesis, one was a graphic novel, two were books I thought were easy to get through and wouldn't require too much attention and concentration, and one was a book I had to read, otherwise my friend who kindly lent it to me (a year ago) would hire an assassin just to get it back ALREADY (this is her voice making its way into the text).

Unlike my reading, the non-reading is rather plentiful. Let's have a look at all the books I have not been reading in January.

Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
I received this book for Christmas, and it has only a little over hundred pages. Yet, I haven't managed to read it. Well done.

Hold Your Own by Kate Tempest
A poetry book. Everyone (I am very selective about my everyones, so to make things clearer: everyone I trust with book opinions) keeps telling me to read this and be amazed. I would love to! Will you go to the exam instead of me? (seriously, though.. I'll bake you a cake)

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
Another one gifted to me during Christmas. Time sure flies, huh...

Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck
Acquired this one two months ago... it was a bargain... I wasn't supposed to buy any books, I believed I'll read it very very soon though...





Children's Literature by Seth Lerer  
As things stand, I don't even have time to read the books I NEED to read, in order to be able to write my thesis in a different way than: 'oh hey, I read this one book by this one person, so he's my only source, I hope everyone's okay about it!' 

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Ever since this one was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Apparently, people either love it or hate it. So I will probably feel indifferently. 

Gilead and Lila by Marilynne Robinson
Man Booker. Do I have to say more? 

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Honestly though, if you don't know why I purchased this one the second it came out (liar alert! I waited for the price to drop - it didn't), you really need to re-read Harry Potter.



The Goldfinch by Donna Tart
During summer, I went to Oxford, as usual. I spent most of the day in Blackwell's bookshop, as usual. I spent a little under £100 there. One of the books was The Goldfinch. Still haven't gotten round to reading it. (Although I did read The Secret History, let me give myself at least some credit!)



If any of you are more lucky than me and have gotten round to any of these books/any other interesting books, let me know. But please speak a little louder than you usually would, so I can hear you from underneath my massive to-be-read pile.

---------------------------------------mluvím i česky --------------------------------------


Na oslavu mho návratu k psaní blogu jsem se rozhodla vám povědět o všech knihách, které nemám čas číst. Doufám, že tentokrát bude můj návrat trochu stálejší, než byly ty předtím. 

Momentálně jsem uprostřed zkouškového období, což tento rok oproti těm předchozím, kdy zkouškové znamenalo prázdniny s občasným zaskočením do školy na zkoušku, znamená, že trávím veškerý svůj čas čtením materiálů na syntax, učení, vývoj angličtiny a tak dále. Proč mi na výsledku zkouškového najednou záleží? 

  1. stal se ze mě něco jako zodpovědný skoro dospělý člověk (a nedoporučuju, bolí to)
  2. hlásím se na magistra do zahraničí
  3. v zahraničí řeší průměr
  4. a lepší pozdě než nikdy, ne? 

Což znamená, že mám asi tak nula celá nula času na čtení (movement více času na čtení má mou plnou podporu). Tenhle rok jsem zatím přečetla pět knih. Z toho jedna byla četba k bakalářce, jedna byl komiks, dvě jsem četla odpočinkově, a tu poslední jsem už prostě přečíst musela, aby si kamarádka nenajala vymahače, kteří by si pro knihu přišli. 

Take nečtu. Za to ale mám hodně knih, které přečíst chci. Což znamená, že je fotím na instagram, vytahuju z knihovny a hladím, očichávám, a listuju jimi v záchvatech prokrastinace. Knihy, které v lednu nečtu:

Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
Myslím, že table ještě do češtiny přeložená není, ale můžu se mýlit. Našla jsem ji pod stromečkem, má jen něco málo přes sto stran, přesto jsem si nenašla čas si ji přečíst. Gratuluju si. 

Hold Your Own by Kate Tempest
Kniha básní, o které mi každý, komu věřím tvrdí, že je naprosto úžasná a ať už si ji konečně přečtu. Já bych ráda! Kdyby tak za mě někdo šel na zkoušku.. 

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
Další, která mi byla darována k Vánocům. To už je konec ledna?

Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck
Koupila jsem si ji před dvěmi měsíci ve Vídni, za 3 eura, prostě jsem ji tam nemohla chudinku nechat. Měla jsem sice něco jako dobrovolný zákaz kupování knih, ale taky jsem si myslela, že se k téhle knize do týdne dostanu. No…

Children's Literature by Seth Lerer  
Jenna z těch knih, které přečíst musím, pokud nechci aby celá moje bakalářka zněla jako tweety autora jediné knihy, ze které zatím čerpám. Proč nemám čas ani na to?

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Byla přidána na shortlist Man Booker Prize. To byl pro mě dostatečný důvod si ji pořídit. Zatím to vypadá, že ji lidé buď milují, nebo nenávidí. A když to tak je, mně je většinou kniha tak nějak jedno. Doufám, že u téhle to tak nebude. 

Gilead and Lila by Marilynne Robinson
Man Booker. Vac říkat nemusím.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Poked vim museum vysvětlovat proč jsem si tuhle musela pořídit hned jak vyšla, je načase abystě si znovu přečetli Harryho Pottera. (Kecám, čekala jsem, jestli nebude třeba trochu levnější o něco později. Nebyla.)

Stehlík od Donna Tart
Během minulého léta jsem jako vždy jela do Oxfordu. Většinu dne jsem strávila v knihkupectví Blackwell’s, jak už to tak delám pokaždé. Utratila jsem něco málo pod 100 liber, a jednou z těch knih byla tahle. A ještě pořád jsem se k ní nedostala. (Za to jsem přečetla Tajný příběh, musím se aspoň trochu pochválit.)

Pokud někdo z vás má trochu více času na čtení, řekněte mi o knihách, které čtete/četli jste, ať vám můžu závidět. Ale prosím trochu nahlas, abych vás zavalená nepřečtenými knihami slyšela. 










Book Review | 'Make Good Art' Speech

chip kidd
written by Neil Gaiman

The most inspiring speech I ever encountered. Reading Neil Gaiman’s books is a life-lasting experience of one kind but after reading his speech he had given at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts in 2012 it felt similar to being struck by lightning (not that I would have any experience with lightning but you know what I mean..) and I will need a lot of time to recover. In the best way possible. I loved every word of it. I feel like there is still chance for us all. If you are any kind of an artist at all you should get your hands on this.

With the help of Chip Kidd, a graphic artist, the speech of Neil Gaiman is even more striking. The way this whole speech is printed is so pretty… I just want to marry this book.


“When I agreed to give this speech, I started trying to think what the best advice I’d been given over the years was. And it came from Stephen King twenty years ago, at the height of the success of Sandman. I was writing a comic that people loved and were taking seriously. King had liked Sandman and my novel with Terry Pratchett, Goog Omens, and he saw the madness, the long signing lines, all that, and his advice was this: This is really great. You should enjoy it. And I didn’t.”

You can watch Neil Gaiman say the whole speech h e r e.

Book Review | The Line of Beauty

1980s
written by Allan Hollinghurst

This Picador 40th Anniversary edition of The Line of Beauty was a birthday gift from my lovely friend. Before I unwrapped the book, I have never heard of it, although I did notice the cover in the bookshop. Once I started the book, it was impossible to stop reading, the writing style was so good and pleasant. I thoroughly enjoyed all the themes that were explored in the novel, however there were several things I did not love or wished there was less information/mentioning of them. That is why I could not rate this book a five star.


1980s. Thatcher England. Nick Guest has just come down from Oxford and he moves in with his friend's family. The family is rich, what you would call high society, involved in English politics. This is the time when AIDS and HIV is having its spread, also the time when coming out if you're gay is accepted but not supported, yet. Nick is gay, and what we read about in The Line of Beauty is the life he lives, throughout several years, how him being gay affects his relationships in society, how AIDS kills his friends and lovers. Nick is indeed obsessed by almost every man he spots, and he wants to get every man he spots, however, he is not the alfa type, from what I read.

The social differences and classes were interesting to read about, and thinking that even not so long ago from today, class was a very important issue. Occasionaly, I felt that there was a bit too much politics discussed but that was simply one of the sub-themes of the book, so I got over it. What was described with precision was the gay sex, and quite often, so if you are not comfortable with sex scenes generally, I'd suggest not to pick this book up. There is also quite a lot of mention of drug use (and abuse). I like what Line of Beauty refers to - Hogarth's line of beauty, of course, but also a line of cocaine, as well as the line where something/someone is the idea of beautiful for one person, but not the other.

Book Review | The Jane Austen Book Club

book review
written by Karen Joy Fowler

I saw this ugly, damaged, library edition of the novel couple of days ago when I went to the library, sitting there on the shelves, and decided it was about time I read this novel, six years after I saw the movie.
My experience with Jane Austen adaptations are not all very good. Mostly bad, actually. This summer I read Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler, and let me tell you - keep your hands of off this one, as it is one of the worst books I have read in my life. There are so many Austen adaptations out there, it is almost impossible to keep count of them. The Jane Austen Book Club is one that made it to the this-won't-make-Jane-want-to-rise-from-the-dead-and-cause-havoc group. Even though I found this book to be an ok one, not a brilliant one, it was entertaining, quite quick and easy to read and very sweet.


There are six people - Jocelyn, Bernadette, Sylvia, Allegra, Prudie, Grigg (the only man in this book club) - which is the same number as the number of Jane Austen novels being read in this book club. The novel is divided into six parts, every part lasts a month, and every month has got a novel and a character who takes the leading role, sort of, as well as hosts the book club at their place. It starts in March, and in March the novel being discussed is Emma, the character who is in the spot light is Jocelyn. In April, the novel is Sense and Sensibility, etc.

This novel is definitely not for someone who has never read a Jane Austen novel, or for those who strongly dislike her. There is a lot of talk dedicated to the main works of Jane Austen. Otherwise, the novel is about relationships, family, friendship, love and connection between people. And a little more. The centre of the story is not mainly the work of Jane Austen, but also the interconnection between the characters and their lives, and how they became who they are now.

What I really appreciated in this edition, and I don't know if the other editions of this novel have this as well, is that after the epilogue, there was a lot of accompanying material, such as a quick overview of Jane Austen novels, opinions and comments on her work by her friends and family, as well as from critics, writers and others, some of which were not very flattering. Which is something I really appreciated, even though this is a novel based on loving Austen, I am grateful that they didn't try to deny there were and still are a lot of negative responses to Jane Austen.