Once again, I have put Tessa Dare on the back burner, waiting for some quiet, peaceful time to read her book. I haven’t read any novels this past week, with most of my book selections being dip-in-and-out reading. I have always loved visually beautiful books but they are:

1. Too expensive to buy so I go to the library and
2. Too heavy to borrow from the library and carry home

But the other week, I *shock and surprise* drove to the library so I stocked up on big, heavy, pretty coffee table books.

Infographics series 

Infographica : visualizing a world of information; Infographic guide to music; Infographic guide to literature

I love well-designed infographics and the majority that are in these books are interesting representations of the comparisons and visual narratives they are trying to represent. My only complaint, unfortunately, is that infographics lend themselves best to posters and larger (than A4) sized paper. These books are small in size (20.4 x 16.9  x 2.2 cm) and I found some of the information design was overly complex and difficult to read. I’d love to see these books published in quarto sizes.

The Thoughtful Home

by Tahn Scoon ; photography by John Downs, Anastasia Kariofyllidis and Elouise van Riet-Gray.

I love interior decorating books but this one missed it’s mark for me. The photography and styling was lovely albeit a bit beige for my tastes. However, I do not like projects in my interior decorating books (the subtitle “creating a home with heart on any budget” should have given that away . Projects remind me of my crappy craft abilities and drag me out of my dream world and into the practical realities of a home makeover. Not fun at all.

My Ideal Bookshelf

art by Jane Mount; edited by Thessaly La Force.

I love the premise of this book. It is a compilation of a variety of people from Jennifer Egan, David Sedaris and Judd Apatow who discuss their keeper books and what makes them special to them. The layout is simple. On one side the text; on the other side the books are illustrated spine out on a bookshelf. Their size varies, some had Dewey numbers stamped on them, some had no indication of the book that they were representing (I guess the original cover had no spine information). I enjoyed reading the separate reading inspiration stories and I really liked the art work. My only disappointment was that not a single person, not even Stephenie Meyers, included a romance novel. There were kids books, horror, the usual literary and classic fare but the closest anyone did get was a Judith Krantz title. The artist also does bespoke bookshelves. There is the option of getting a print from choosing books from an extensive list provided by the author. this list is broad ranging even including some wonderful Sandra Boynton board books and Mo Willems picture books. There is lots of fantasy, some sci-fi, some crime and there is even some chick lit Bridget Jones Diary though surprisingly no Marian Keyes. However, there is not a single romance title. If romance readers want a shelf of their books they have to pay double the amount for a bespoke art work. Dang it! To be fair, the artist does say that not all the books she has painted are listed.

Veranda

by Caroline Englefield

This book was splendid. Glossy, beautiful photographs of modern European homes.I enjoyed browsing through it so much that I forgot to read the notes that accompanied each image. Some rooms were so stunning that I would pathetically run my hand down the pages as though it was a tactile experience rather than just a visual delight. As we say in Greek, γεμιζη το ματι (it fills my eye).

The downside – I now have to return all of these books necessitating me to once again drive to the library rather than enjoying a leisurely train ride reading the books I will inevitably borrow.

I borrowed these books from a NSW public library.