“To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June.” ~ Jean-Paul Sartre

Isn’t that a great quote? I read that in an email from BasBleu announcing a new collection of poetry, The Classic Hundred Poems. And, I thought, the day is pretty dreary so yes, why not read a poem. Here’s one that I really like.

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—
They got quarters and I had a half.

And that orange it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park
This is peace and contentment. It’s new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all my jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist.

~The Orange by Wendy Cope

If you don’t have a poetry book handy, check out Poetry Foundation and find a good poem to read today.

A hazelnut latte, a stack of magazines and hours at the bookstore is my kind of day and I had one of those this weekend. I spent some time at Barnes & Noble indulging in a bunch of new crafty magazines. I was especially tempted by Cloth Paper Scissors and the latest Somerset Studios publication, Art Journaling.

I walked away without them but I think I may have to go back. I figure these are the types of magazines that I know I can go back to from time to time for tips and advice, right? I probably should have got them but hey, this just means I have to go back to the bookstore.

With me I also had the Dec/Jan edition of Bookforum, this thanks to Stefanie who had a giveaway for this publication recently. I love the in-depth articles in this magazine and reading through this I’m wondering how I could have let my subscription lapse last year.

Anyway, I read about Hitler’s Private Library, which is an eye-opening essay, and okay I’ll also admit that I love this publication for the ads. There are such interesting books mentioned here, books which I rarely see on a bookstore shelf.

For example just check out some of these titles:

• The Big Archive by Sven Spieker. From the ad: “This non-fictional version of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose is indispensable reading for artists and scholars.”
• Black by Michel Pastoureau. Black—favorite color of priests and penitents, artists and ascetics, fashion designers and fascists—has always stood for powerfully opposed ideas: authority and humility, sin and holiness, rebellion and conformity, wealth and poverty, good and bad. In this beautiful and richly illustrated book, the acclaimed author of Blue now tells the fascinating social history of the color black in Europe.
• Tales for Little Rebels edited by Julia Mickenberg and Philip Nel. This is a collection of forty-four mostly out-of-print stories, poems, comic strips, primers, and other texts for children that embody the radical tradition. These pieces reflect the concerns of twentieth-century leftist movements, such as peace, civil rights, gender equality, environmental responsibility, and the dignity of labor.

So, a very nice time and now I am planning to start a new book tonight, Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson which the Slaves of Golconda will be discussing at the end of the month. Hope you’ll think about joining us.