The very big bible

I have been working on a very large Family Bible. it came to me at the store with a request that I repair it. It has been well loved and has had a hard life, and a couple of repairs done already. It has proven to be quite a challenge, but is nearly completed.

Multiplicity

I love the different expressions that exist in this little shop that come out of my own world so I've added a new photo to the cover. A little bit of photoshop fun.

Rooster mosaic

The elements sure can be harsh, the freeze and thaw and rain of this winter has taken its toll and showed me that plywood is not a good base,

Good words

'He believed that a sleeping person has a vulnerable soul and deserves to be woken gently'- Lawrence Hill

Recycling

We all recognize these blue newspaper baggies,
you can bring them in to Read and Green for recycling and bring your extra grocery bags too, please

Farley Mowat

So long Farley Mowat, thanks for all the good words. 'Lost in the Barrens' read to my grade three class by Joan Roberts, was the beginning of my love of the story, Like falling dominos I rapidly discovered the great Canadian authors, artists, the Group of Seven, Canadiana antiques and the beauty of the Canadian countryside,

Book stands

In the name of recycling and economy, I've been making these book stands out of old, wire coat hangers

Keeping up with the blog

At best it's pretty challenging, I'll start formulating my thoughts and have them half written and then there's a distraction,and another and another, and then I forget that I've started it.
I've started a Facebook page for Read and Green ind have posted a few times since Brighton's Applefest this past weekend, it was a great event and I'm looking forward to next year's already

Doctor Doolittle

I've loved reading animal stories and am still a fan of the Gerald Durrell books, the first of which I read was 'my family and other animals', But I have to say that still among my favorites is Hugh Lofting's 'Story of Doctor Doolittle'. Reading about those adventures, the giant snail and Luna moth, and then seeing the push me pull me as illuminated in the magical film version starring Rex Harrison. Later yet, the remake with Eddie Murphy was also a great reinterpretation of what began as a brilliant adventure story book.

Book store psychology

Today something occurred to me about a fundamental difference between a new bookstore and a second hand one. A customer walking into a new bookstore will likely carry with them an expectation for some current release and may find themselves annoyed or disappointed if it's not in stock, and then leave feeling let down. For a second hand bookseller, almost always, walk ins have no real, disappointable expectations, and subsequently leave thrilled when they've found an unexpected treasure, the result being that there is always good, gentle, happy energy in a second hand store that also feels of awe and magic.

My literary thumbprint,

As an avid reader I amaze as to the variety of subjects that have grabbed my attention over the years. A few years ago when I bought my first laptop computer and discovered the Internet, having just moved out of the deep woods of BC. I started thinking of books that I'd read, and I created a docier of thumbnail photos of the covers of those books that I clipped from the web. As it grew I became aware of the significance of making that docier, I was recording my literary discovery path which is as unique to me as my thumbprint. And with every book that I remembered, I was flooded with the memories and feelings of its time, place and circumstances. Memories more profound even than those conjured up by smells and odours. I call that my literary thumbprint. So, I'm working at developing and understanding the usefulness of this exercise, stay tuned for more reflections later,

Webster's third edition

I've taken in and rescued quit a few books in these past few weeks and am saddened when I hear stories of what has been sent to the landfill, however there are good stories also. This week I got rewarded with a rescue book that will be added to my collection at home, this beautiful 1928 black leather bound Webster's is in mint condition, though the dust jacket is a little tired... It finds it's place among friends of the same vintage,

On Being heard

Books come into the store fairly regularly as well as they go out, I also go out hunting for what I need in the store, over the winter I diligently sought out a few extra Nora Roberts titles because of their popularity, ( I've read three, they're good) well, shelving books last week, I put my 20 or so Nora's on the shelf and said to myself that I need to bump it up and find some more so that I have extras. Four days ago I received a call to pick up a few boxes of books (25 of them) got them to the store and found in them about 200 unread Nora Roberts, thank you universe for responding so readily,

All the pieces together

There we go, shelves installed, books on shelves, furnishings arranged, it looks like a book shop. Many thanks go to those that lent a hand Alex, Sacha, Julian, Adrian, Anthony, Jaye and John, Aidan, Xan, Kaz, Cody, Meagan, Liam, Pamela, and my dear Tante. This is what many hands helped to make,

The last tile

We set ourselves odd challenges, it was observed to me that this tile floor turned out to be my 'hair shirt'. Well nearly, only that the tiling project was finite. See, I used 'was', I glued the last tile at 4:15 this morning, woohoo! I'm heading over to grout, grouting is much quicker.

E readers

A few folks express concern about the growth of the e reader market and it causing the decline in the book market. While, at once I am eager for my own e reader and am amazed by its potential, capacity, I maintain that the real book market will have it's place and remain as a strong market. People love the feel, character and history of a good book, and there is a romance associated with perusing a well stocked book shelf, that will allow both media to co-exist quite nicely.

Balance

This floor is testing me, my muscles, my faith, my patience, my endurance. And as each new stage reveals how the end result will be and reminds me that however impractical from a business perspective, good works are worth the time and it never harms to make ones bit of the world a little prettier, balance between business and being,

Display window

I've decided that, since the first alcove is done, I'll move the purple bed sheets back and set the alcove as a display window while the tiling gets finished up In the rest of the shop, it was a thrill for me to get to unpack and shelve some books already, here's what it loos like

Details

Even slightly Changing the appearance of some of the necessary less pretty parts, like the heater, makes a more appealing space,

Shelf genre headers

All the parts slowly come together, there are just enough incomplete scrabble sets in garage sale world to give me just what I needed.