1. Isn’t this portrait of Kurt Vonnegut great? He wrote such dark books, but had such a lovely, optimistic mind. The Chicago-based artist does other funny “pep-talk” prints, including a great one of Dolly Parton.
2. I just learned a new “untranslatable” word, and it perfectly describes my apartment: Tsundoku. It’s a Japanese word that describes the act of buying books and leaving them unread in piles around your home. Right now, I’m staring at a pile of books that includes novels by Sarah Waters (who wrote Fingersmith, which was just fantastic) and The Snow Child, which I’m actually quite close to finishing, so technically it’s not “unread.” But I wish it were! It’s so, so good that I wish I hadn’t read it so I could go back to the beginning and start over. It’s about an old homesteader couple in Alaska that wish a child into being. The magic snow-child’s name is Faina. How beautiful is that?
Katy Kelleher 
I loved that book. I read it whilst gallery sitting in a large stone room. I remember finishing it with prickly eyes and throat, trying to alternately gather my sensibilities or just leave them cut on the floor when a gallery visitor came in.
Oh my gosh I loved that book so much. And your description of reading it in a large stone room makes me shiver a little with pleasure. I want so badly for my life to be filled with that kind of magic – the kind that is quiet and sneaky, sad and beautiful. It’s funny how much time I spend chasing magic in my own life, how much time I spend stuck in stories. Judging by your (lovely and really striking!) art, you must, too.
Yep, chasing magic and lost in stories!
mmm that would be The Snow Child