When: Saturday November 16, 2013
Where: Boston Public Library and 37th Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair
I enjoy reading but sometimes I feel like I don’t read enough. With a full DVR and a large Netflix queue I tend to watch television instead of read. I’d like to change that habit and schedule in more reading time. I belong to a small book club with some friends; we are currently reading books that are made into movies. I finished Ender’s Game over the weekend and then my book club went to the movie on Monday. I enjoyed both the book and the movie but if you plan to read it you should know that it is a young adult literature book. At times while reading the book, Ender’s Game reminded me of Harry Potter and Hunger Games. An interesting fact according to IMdB: The U.S. Marine Corps has ENDER’S GAME on its recommended reading list for officers, saying that it offers “lessons in training methodology, leadership, and ethics as well.”
I read books on my Kindle but I do like to read actual books on occasion. The Kindle is nice for traveling but I still like to turn pages and mark my spot with a nice bookmark. I also like to keep my favorite books to display on my bookshelves and I have a small collection of fashion and photography books.
I planned on visiting the Boston public library on Boylston Street as my post topic but I also decided to visit a book fair after reading that there would be one in the Hynes Convention Center on November 16th.
I stopped at the Boston public library on my way to the book fair. I love this library; it is beautiful and fully functional. You can borrow books, movies, and CDs. You can visit the library to find a quiet place to read or do some work. There is a computer area for guests to go online. Even if you don’t need a book or computer time, you can just walk around taking in the beauty of this library. There is a lovely courtyard and an informative and interesting map room (featured in another Saturday post). Don’t forget to use your local library branch as a source for books, books on CDs, music, and DVDs.
After my library visit I walked down to Hynes Convention Center. I’d never been to a book fair so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew there would be limited edition books but I found some other interesting items for sale.
One vendor had letters and memorabilia from many famous people and politicians. My favorite piece he had was a thank you note from Princess Diana to fashion designer Bruce Oldfield for designing “one extremely smart velvet dress.” This item would cost you $5000. Wondering what you would do with this type of item? Put it on display in your house. One of my friends once told me adding a unique item to your home decor is a good conversation piece.
Some vendors had collectible items:
Another interesting thing I found was a set of outfit sketches from 50s fashion designer David Leigh. The whole set of sketches including his design book was being sold for $1000. I was only interested in buying one sketch to possibly frame but I decided against trying to bargain for one sketch. I’m not sure how much bargaining happens at these events.
I enjoyed this day filled with books and I walked away inspired to read more books.
Lifestyle of a Fashionista 