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Showing posts with label Indie Bookstore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indie Bookstore. Show all posts

 





Hello, My Lovelies!   I hope you're having a blessed Sunday!  Welcome to the December 1, 2024 edition of the Tales of the Traveling Tote!




There is also a giveaway.
You'll learn more at the end of this post!


Recently we visited Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, for one of my dearest friend's wedding.  I did not take many photos of the parties and the wedding because there were so many photographers, and no one had their phones out.  It was sort of nice, to tell you the truth.  I did take a few photos of Susan's gorgeous flowers surreptitiously because I knew y'all would want to see them.  I was able to take them before the ceremony when no one was around.







Our home away from home was The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek.  We enjoyed staying there, and the folks were so welcoming and accomodating.


The hotel was formerly a private residence.  


We had fun in Dallas, and one of the highlights was eating lunch at Terry Black's.  The ribs and sauce was the best I've ever had, but I must brag on Mr. Bookish because his brisket is better.



We also shopped for Christmas presents in an artsy section of Dallas (Bishop Arts District).  One of the highlights for me was an independent romance bookshop called Blush Bookstore.  It was so cute, and they sold the most adorable bookish clothing and accessories I've ever seen.




A cozy reading nook
Blush also sold a cute variety of vintage-looking Christmas decor and ephemera.


We also visited the Kimbell Art Museum in Forth Worth for the Dutch Art in a Global Age Exhibit.  I took so many photos, but I will only share my very favorites in this post.



According to the museum's website:

In the seventeenth century, Dutch merchants sailed across seas and oceans, joining trade networks that stretched from Asia to the Americas and Africa. This unprecedented movement of goods, ideas, and people gave rise to what many consider the first age of globalization and sparked an artistic boom in the Netherlands.


I loved the gorgeous still lifes with the tiny little details that included insects and other fauna specimens.  



The exhibit also included maps and stunning decorative objects in silver, porcelain, and more, from the seventeenth and the first half of the eighteenth centuries. 


These Delftware tea canisters were designed to copy Chinese motifs. 



This is a silver sugar server.
Sugar was sold in a hard, cone-shaped configuration, and it sat on the top of the server.  Diners would use the spoons and scrape sugar into the base and then spoon it out for serving.


I also had a couple of favorites from their permanent collection.


Weeping Willow 
1918–19
Claude Monet, French

Monet had painted ten Weeping Willow paintings by 1919, apparently in mournful response to the mass tragedy of World War I.



Presentation of Captives to a Maya Ruler
c. A.D. 785
Limestone with traces of paint


We had such a wonderful trip filled with parties, childhood friends, delicious food, shopping, and priceless works of art.  I'm so thankful we were able to go to Dallas and attend Susan and Gary's wedding.  



Please make sure you visit all the posts and see where the other totes have been this quarter, and Linda is hosting the giveaway!


Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 
Emily with Miss Courtney ChildsThe French Hutch
 Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box
Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Rita with Miss Luna C Panoply 
Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader (You're here!)







Our next adventures.

We are currently in New Orleans attending an event and visiting friends and family.
I will share about this trip in March!




Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill




Tales of the Traveling Tote: Dallas, Texas

Sunday, December 1, 2024

 


Happy Literary Friday, My Lovelies!  Today's post will feature books with animals as the main characters.  I've had a very busy week, and the weekend will also be busy, so I'm keeping my reviews very short and sweet.

I bought these books (not the library book) at Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor.  It is now a favorite Indie bookstore of mine, and they are known for their manual typewriter where patrons can leave little notes:





DISCLOSURE:  All book covers below are IndieBound affiliate links.



Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org


This book is my least favorite of the three simply because it's dystopian (not my favorite genre).  However, I am still giving it 5 out of 5 stars because it's very well-written, and it maintained my attention.  Basically the story is about a council of animals that meet to determine the fate of humanity.  Humans have caused a global event called The Calamity, and some animals think it's best to kill the remaining humans and eat them, and others are in favor of saving humanity because of their past positive contributions to the world.  Animals are fairly split, the politics are dirty, and the animals have certainly learned much from observing humans.



Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org


I loved this memoir (checked our from our library) written by animal journalist and writer Sy Montgomery.  She's written prolifically for both adults and children, and she is also known for writing books about Temple Grandin.  How To Be a Good Creature is a fairly quick read, and Sy shares the lessons she learned from observing creatures, both family pets and animals from the field.  She is very observant, and this trait has enabled her to join many scientific studies in her quest to share amazing animals from all over the globe.  One of the animals that interested me was the Matschie's Tree Kangaroo from Papua New Guinea.  I was so intrigued that I checked-out Sy Montgomery's children's book about them to learn more.



Matschies Tree Kangaroo




Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org


Perestroika in Paris is one of my favorite books, but I must disclose that Jane Smiley is a favorite writer of mine: I love The Accidental Tourist and One Thousand Acres.  Perestroika, or "Paras" for short, is a curious horse.  After winning a race, she escapes her stall, takes her trainer's purse (after all, she thought it belonged to her because racehorses win "purses"), and ends-up in nearby Paris.  She meets several friends including a dog and a gregarious raven.  But when she befriends a young boy named Étienne and he takes her home with him to his great-grandmother's rambling home and garden, things get very interesting, especially as Christmas approaches.  Arm wrestle (and win!) for the right to choose this book for your next book club selection.





Do you like books with animal characters?  What are you reading this weekend?


Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill




Books With Animal Characters

Friday, September 10, 2021

 




Happy National Book Lovers' Day, My Lovelies!  Today's the day (August 9th) we should all unplug and read (unless you're using a device to read, lol).

As many of you know, I've been in a bit of a book slump lately *heavy sigh* so I visited my favorite Indie Bookshop where my favorite bookseller recommended two books sure to please.





Jane in Love is a light, time travel novel about Jane Austen traveling to the present where (when?) she falls in love.  My bookseller who recommended this one NEVER reads contemporary Jane Austen themed books, so this one must be very good.

House of Trelawney is about a dysfunctional aristocratic Cornish family and how they navigate the 2008 financial crisis.  This is ironic because Hannah Rothschild is from THAT Rothschild banking family.

I decided to read Jane in Love first.  You can read my review here on the blog soon.




I want to thank those of you who've shared book recommendations with me.  Now go out there today to your local Indie bookshop, purchase a book, and read!



Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org



Until next time...

Happy reading!
Ricki Jill



Happy National Book Lovers' Day!

Sunday, August 8, 2021

 


I purchased these at my indie bookstore.  I rarely purchase from the big box stores.


Happy Saturday, y'all!  Guess where I'll be today???

That's right!  I will visit our local Indie Bookstore.  

What exactly is Independent Bookstore Day?  According to their website:

"Independent Bookstore Day is a one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country on the last Saturday in April.  Every store is unique and independent, and every party is different. But in addition to authors, live music, cupcakes, scavenger hunts, kids events, art tables, readings, barbecues, contests, and other fun stuff, there are exclusive books and literary items that you can only get on that day. Not before. Not after. Not online."





This year's Indie Bookstore Day was postponed due to the pandemic because it's usually the last Saturday in April, not the last Saturday in August.



My local Indie Bookstore is Little Professor in Homewood, Alabama.  


I received an email yesterday, and I'm happy to announce that Little Professor will offer fresh coffee and espresso drinks today.  I will get mine free because I'm a member!  :D

Independent bookstores are so important to our communities.  The booksellers learn about our tastes, and can make appropriate book recommendations.  Many indie bookstores serve their communities as meeting places and event spaces.  We should always buy local when we can (environmental impact, tax dollars, and almost sixty cents per on dollar spent stays within the community), and book lovers across the country must feel the same way because there are more indie bookstores this year than last year.  Great news!

I like that Little Professor has curbside service if I'm in a rush and know exactly what I want.  But tomorrow, I will go in, enjoy coffee, and find the perfect book.  I guess I'll be adding one more book to my Autumn Reading List!  

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

Above is an affiliate link for the Indie Next List.
Get an insider's scoop on the latest hot books!



I'm hoping that one of these two books will be in stock at the bookstore tomorrow.  Interestingly, both are about communities coming together in support of dynamic and resourceful women.  Stop by Monday to see what I bought!









Until next time...

Happy reading!
Ricki Jill

Today is Independent Bookstore Day

Saturday, August 29, 2020


Hello, Lovelies!

I'm Ricki Jill. Welcome! I'm honored that you're reading my blog. I enjoy sharing my creative lifestyle @ The Bookish Dilettante. For more information about my blog, please read the Start Here page. Thank-you for stopping by, and I hope you'll consider following me via email.

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