The Perfection of Imperfection

“A place for everything and everything in it’s place” is a mantra I chant in my most optimistic housekeeping moments … in reality, “chaos reigns”  or even “man the torpedos!” is better suited to the state of domestic affairs chez moi. I therefore wholeheartedly embrace a recent trend in home decor, one that  celebrates a more rumpled, lived-in look. Turns out I may be ahead of my time.

Deborah Needleman, known for founding the shelter magazine, Domino, which has achieved cult status among home decorators, is the author of this terrific book. Her sense of humour, apparent in the magazine, is clearly present in this book too. Chapter titles include: “Cozification” and “A Bit of Quirk”.  The Perfectly Imperfect Home – How to Decorate and Live Well is a “perfect” home decor item unto itself – the illustrations inside by Canadian artist Virginia Johnson (about whom I’ve blogged before, here) are so pretty. Here’s her version of the bedside table, complete with books.

“A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent LIfe” also embraces a good sense of humour and a good sense of relaxed style. Mary Randolph Carter is Creative Director at Ralph Lauren and has written some eight books on design and has been an editor of even more – all with the same forgiving, eclectic, family-oriented and personality revealing style. In this particular book you will find a number of essays about the concept of “home” and practical tips for achieving a comfortable haven. Gorgeous photos are throughout.

Ahhh … the Queen of relaxed, romantic style is Rachel Ashwell. She established her brand in 1989 and calls the style “deliciously comfortable”, blending English elegance and California casual. Her story is entrepreneurially (apparently that isn’t a word – my spell-check just had a fit) inspiring. One little Malibu boutique has become a multi-faceted global enterprise. She has along the way produced an impressive number of her own books, all with beautiful photos and guidance.

So consider permission granted to embrace disorderly conduct –  these three very accomplished style mavens have declared it a most legitimate pursuit.

“I Want A Girl Who Reads” by Mark Grist

I, like most Canadians, was enthralled with the spoken word performance of Shane Koyczan at the Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics here in Vancouver. Click here if you are not familiar with it or if you just want to wander down memory lane. Mark Grist (link below) is also a Spoken Word artist and has performed the following poem. I couldn’t resist including the written version. It’s tremendous!

(Saucy language ahead – consider thy sensibilities and thyself warned)

I WANT A GIRL WHO READS

by Mark Grist

“So, what do you go for in a girl?”
He crows, lifting a lager to his lips
Gestures where his mate sits
Downs his glass
“He prefers tits
I prefer ass.
What do you go for in a girl?”

I don’t feel comfortable
The air left the room a long time ago
All eyes are on me
Well, if you must know

I want a girl who reads
Yeah. Reads.
I’m not trying to call you a chauvinist
Cos I know you’re not alone in this
but…

I want a girl who reads
Who needs the written word
& uses the added vocabulary
She gleans from novels and poetry
To hold lively conversation
In a range of social situations

I want a girl who reads
Whose heart bleeds at the words of Graham Greene
Or even Heat magazine
Who’ll tie back her hair while reading Jane Eyre
and goes cover to cover with each Waterstones three for two offer
but I want a girl who doesn’t stop there

I want a girl who reads
Who feeds her addiction for fiction
With unusual poems and plays
That she hunts out in crooked bookshops for days and days and days
She’ll sit addicted at breakfast, soaking up the back of the cornflakes box
And the information she gets from what she reads makes her a total fox
Cos she’s interesting & unique
& her theories make me go weak at the knees

I want a girl who reads

A girl whose eyes will analyse
The menu over dinner
Who’ll use what she learns to kick my ass in arguments
so she always ends the winner
But she’ll still be sweet and she’ll still be flirty
Cos she loves the classics and the classics are dirty
So late at night she’d always have me in a stupor
As she paraphrases the raunchier moments from the works of Jilly Cooper

See, some guys prefer asses
Some prefer tits
And I’m not saying that I don’t like those bits
But what’s more important
What supercedes
For me
Is a girl a with passion, wit and dreams
So I want a girl who reads.

 

Titanic-ish Fiction

100 years has passed since the dramatic demise of the Titanic and many fascinating features are appearing in the news. There are an extraordinary number of non-fiction narratives on the shelves about the ship, the tragedy, the victims, and survivors and even a cookbook re-creating the meals served on board. Two new releases in the Fiction department look very appealing to me. Whether Titanic-inspired or not (they are) these strike me as simply great stories.

   

Kate Alcott (a pseudonym) is a journalist who had always been intrigued by the Titanic disaster and more specifically, by the lives of its survivors. With her professional eye for detail and story, she found a particularly colourful character during her research around whom she deftly projected an imagined tale. The Dressmaker is the result. Much of the action in this novel stems from the investigative hearings which took place following the sinking. Romance and moral angst appear, of course, to keep us riveted!

 

The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan also fictionally echoes the Titanic but more vaguely; the featured ill-fated vessel is named the Empress Alexandra. But, as with The Dressmaker, this novel’s story flourishes in the ethical dilemmas and emotions rising from post-sinking investigations and trial. Author Charlotte Rogan, who practised writing as a surreptitious diversion while raising triplets (!), was inspired by reading old legal texts and by time spent sailing as a youngster when she learned to appreciate on-board hierarchy and decision-making protocols. Both experiences influence the thrilling study of truth and integrity as survivors recount and defend behaviours that took place within The Lifeboat. The strategizing and posturing sounds a bit like a heated episode of TVs “Survivor”! I am certain this remarkably well-reviewed book will be a bestseller.

And just because I know I piqued your interest above … click to be taken to amazon’s peek inside.  It’s a gorgeous book!