literary agent

my personal collection loved and grown for over 30 years

arcana bookstore in LA looking for my next gem

appreciation for 24 hours opening at T-Site in DAIKANYAMA

books of wonder, my favorite kids bookshop

in capri, eating ice cream and admiring the color and the books

starting the love affair of books with my grey

inspiration process: read, rip, file, scan, recycle, archive

a little selection from a session at the Strand

jenny kroik for the new yorker which felt so “me” when seeing it

Some of my best relationships are the ones with the characters, the writers, the dreamers, the designers, the chefs, the visionaries within a book. I was/am always happiest at a library, a bookshop or just cozied up with a book and a blanket. There’s something so comforting about a book and the escape it provides, the knowledge it teaches and the appreciation for the storytellers of the world. They feed your soul. When we were looking for a house outside the city, my first question was where is the nearest bookstore and how far is the library? I went to both before proceeding with any other searches. They needed to feel like an extension of our home. And let’s talk about the one detail that was a must for the house… Where were the books going? They needed a room of their own. They would get a custom-designed wall system. Art in its own right. I have since outgrown this shelf and am now working on a shelf system for just novels. I want Grey to have the same appreciation and admiration for what these magic little castles provide in adventure. My sister and I would spend hours on the weekend as kids, in college and even now bi-coastal sharing book ideas, cookbooks and bookclubs to spark some sanity.

All of the great cities I have visited always have a selection of little bookshops to get lost in. They are always on “Julie the Cruise Director’s” itinerary and have ample time for browsing, buying and binging on the latest finds. Suitcases have been declared just for the book and magazine purchases to fly back home with. But here’s the thing… a book, a word, a paragraph, an image… those are the things that create the original ideas. The ideas with the soul. The vision. The love for art and all its forms. Getting lost in a book, a story, a narrative… it lets you imagine it in your own right before anyone else painting the story for you. I also, only read the book before any movie. I want my own vision of it all.

Books are invaluable to me. When hurricane Sandy ripped through I remember only caring about the books in the house. I kept thinking I would return to the apartment the next morning seeing Tim Walker’s Pictures 1st Edition floating down Garden Street. Luckily, the books were saved and my library became the kitchen stacked cabinet to ceiling while repairs were made. Some ask what I plan to do with all of these and why keep collecting? In essence they are part of me. I have many that I grew up with. I read them now to Grey. Some of my first fashion and interior books were purchased with my sister at Michigan State at the Barnes & Noble across from our artist work hall. We would escape around 3 for a tea and book buy. They also tell their own story and their own part of where I was in life. They are memories, just the like author writing them or narrating; the books are a supporting theme to my own narrative. Now, I shop and browse at my little village bookstore and have created friends just not in the books sitting on the shelves, but with the humans working there. Shop local always!

I don’t believe in digital books. I understand their importance, but the details of the paper weight, the cast of yellow, the font and frankly the smell of a new book is intoxicating. I thrive on ear-folding, underlining quotes, highlighting a passage that I will use in some form of life. I really don’t think one could ever have enough books in their life. All the genres, the art, cooking, interiors, comics, gardening, Peanuts… we don’t discriminate over here. All lead to experiences that enrich. So many of these books have taught me facts, captured my soul through its own story, inspiration, and day-dreaming that has transported me to other worlds. I have escaped in dark times. I have found comfort in relating to another persons story. I have found joy in all of these facets.

My love for books has only grown and will continue. Grey and I read books every night and watching his imagination take-off even when not reading I know is inspired by this. We are always looking for the Witch on the Broom and seeing if she has more room for us. He asks us to join on the broom with all his friends. Books and their craft of delivering the writing paints the soul. I believe my love affair of writing and reading go hand-in-hand. As Robert Redford says, “storytellers broaden our minds; engage, provoke, inspire and ultimately connect us-”

And that my friends is the best relationship: collective connectivity.

a spooktacular saturday

the dreamers