This is where

This is where I want to be right now.

How about you?

1st via: here, 2nd via: here


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Bookcase Lust

via MadeByGirl via WeHeartIt
I ♥ the wallpaper, the open bookcase, and how some books are vertical while others are horizontal. Oh, and the chandelier!

via Sharon Domingues via WeHeartIt

Sooo many books, sooo much color, and sooo much storage. (And another chandelier!)

via MadeItDotCom via WeHeartIt
This slim, space-saving bookcase takes me back to the days of children's programs at the public library. I would love to have one of these in my house because it allows for the covers to be displayed.

via Livbit via WeHeartIt

This tree-inspired bookshelf is unlike any book storage I've ever seen! Very cute.

via BooksCakesnKisses via WeHeartIt

My bed is my favorite place to reading, so having books handy is an essential. I love the juxtaposition of all the white and clean lines with the gilt framed portrait.

via Flickr via WeHeartIt

White and pink is always pretty. I'm swooning over the long and low bookcase that lines the back wall and comes up just below the windows. Great lighting, too.

via Tumblr via WeHeartIt
I saved the best for last. Is this bookcase not absolutely splendid?!

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P.S. I know this blog is devoted primarily to the reading, writing, and researching of historical fiction... but one of my other passions is interior design. Books should not be tucked away and hidden from view. I like to see them out in the open---you can tell so much about a person by skimming over the titles on their bookshelf! I love seeing how other bookworms decorate with and store away their many books. So from now on under the Miscellaneous label you may be seeing some book decor features from time to time.

Hello, Corona 3

The other day, I purchased another (my third) typewriter: the gorgeous Corona 3. I did a little research and I believe my model dates to about 1919. It came in the case with its original instruction manual and cleaning tools. Oh, and might I mention that it is in perfect working order? It has a bit of a smell (old typewriter scent) to it and needs some cleaning up, but every key works and it's in wonderful condition considering its age.

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Gift Ideas for Book-Lovers

1. Overdue Notebook
2. Bibliophile's Dictionary
3. Bookworm Bookmarks
4. Personal Library Kit
5. Pictorial Webster's
6. 2-Headed Booklight
7. AtoZ Bookends

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Gift Ideas for Writers

1. No Plot? No Problem! Novel Writing Kit
2. Keep Calm and Type On Print
3. Monogrammed Coffee Mug
4. Acer Aspire Netbook in Amethyst
5. Writer's Warning Tote Bag
6. Red Genuine Leather Locking Diary
7. Moleskine Notebooks
8. Typewriter Key Jewelry
9. Dixon Ticonderoga Pencils
10. Vintage Royal Quiet Deluxe Typewriter
(Earnest Hemingway's Favorite, btw)

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Troubled by Scandal & Plagiarism in the Blogosphere

I love blogs. I'm relatively new to being a blogger myself, but I've been following blogs on interior design, good books to read, and do-it-yourself projects for over a year now. I may be getting into a controversial subject here, but I do feel the need to get my personal opinion out there.

I hate it when a post comes up in my feed in which a blogger complains about being plagiarized. I think plagiarism is completely wrong and out of line, so my heart always goes out to a writers whose work has been stolen. That would be a nightmare! I always try very hard to make sure I give credit where credit is due and such... but if it ever appears that I have "stolen" or "borrowed" from another blogger, I do hope that someone confronts me about it in a respectful manner. I'm not saying that plagiarizers should only be given slaps on the wrist and sent on their way. But sometimes it could be an accident or a misunderstanding. I would hope that I would be approached respectfully before being attacked. I would certainly remove the content and profusely apologize. (All that being said, I don't believe I've ever plagiarized and I never plan to.)

What brings this all up? Well, two of my favorite blogs: Scandalous Women (SW) and Historically Obsessed (HO). Recently, Historically Obsessed published a post about a certain painting by Pre-Raphaelite Sir John Everett Millais. Apparently, the blogger of SW read HO's post and was inspired by it. A few days later, SW published a post focusing on the scandalous affair of Millais and Effie Gray, who was John Ruskin's wife. Then today, HO published a post accusing SW of plagiarizing and attacking the blogger of SW.

This really troubles me. I read both of the posts before the accusation was made. I was so excited to see that two bloggers had blogged about Pre-Raphaelite subject matter because I just finished studying the Pre-Raphaelites in my British Literature course. I read both, noticed that both were from separate blogs, but didn't think they were at all the same. Even though the two posts shared the same painting and people, the actual post topics were completely different.

The HO post discusses the meaning behind, symbolism of, and the blogger's connection to one of Millais' paintings. The post includes two quotes, one from from Essential Pre-Raphaelites and one from Illustrated London News. The only instance in which Effie Gray or John Ruskin are mentioned is in those quotes.

The SW post delves into the personal lives of John Ruskin, Effie Gray, and Sir John Everett Millais. The post explains the marriage of Ruskin and Effie, how unhappy Effie was, the financial circumstances of Effie's family and the eventual annulment. It also goes onto to talk about the love between Effie and Millais. Besides including the same painting as a picture in the post, the post doesn't actually refer to the painting, its symbolism, its meaning or any of the other stuff HO covered.

I don't believe that SW is in the wrong here. Is it so wrong to be inspired by a blog, research deeper on the topic, and then publish your own post on the subject? I understand the need to come up with creative ideas and to want those ideas attributed to yourself. But to believe that you will be the only to cover that topic, especially when it is such a well-known and interesting subject, is really rather silly in my opinion.

Plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarizers should have some sort of punishment. But SW did not plagiarize. The author was inspired by HO's post and took the topic in her own direction, focusing on the "scandalous woman" Effie Gray.

I will continue to read both blogs because I enjoy them equally, but seriously---the way HO accused SW of "stealing" was out of line and really put a damper on my blog reading of the day. Another thing that sort of torqued me in HO's accusative post was this line,

"Hum, I wonder where she got that idea could it be that she spends her day trolling other Historical Fiction blogs looking for ideas on what to post herself?" (from Historically Obsessed: Plagiarism in the HF Community BEWARE)

I think that a lot of HF bloggers read other Historical Fiction blogs just as avid Historical Fiction readers do. Bloggers and readers alike are always looking for another wonderful pageturner to stick their nose in. Is it wrong if a blogger reads another blog's review, reads the book themselves, and then posts their own review about it? I think not. I've discovered soooo many favorite novels by reading reviews on blogs. Am I plagiarizing that blogger by talking about the book on my own blog? Am I "stealing" their idea? No. And to accuse me (and other bloggers) of that would be absurd. I know there are people out there who deal steal a review and post it as their own. Those people are plagiarizers.

But go read the two posts for yourself and see what you think. Click here to read the "original" Historically Obsessed post about the painting. Click here to read the Scandalous Women post that focuses on Effie Gray's life.

"Take the whole range of imaginative literature, and we are all wholesale borrowers. In every matter that relates to invention, to use, or beauty or form, we are borrowers." (Wendell Phillips)


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Awol in the Fall

Oh, dear. It really has been too long since I've been here at the blog. You see, school has got me quite bogged down. Midterms swooped in and nearly knocked me off my feet. And now I have psychology projects, Latin tests, lots of literature reading, and a big research paper... not the mention the looming finals that occur shortly into December.

I did finish "The Gilded Chamber" and loved it. I promise to post a review as soon as I have the ample time to sit down and write it. I also just started "Slammerkin." Oh, and it's less than a week now until National Novel Writing Month! There's still plenty of time to sign up, so get your booty over to NaNoWriMo.org and make the vow to churn out a 50k word novel in thirty days.

I'm slightly cringing at the thought of November. With classes, homework, Thanksgiving, books to read, and a 50,000-word novel to write...it's going to be one hectic month of all-nighters, delicious food, reading on the bus (because it's the only time I have time) and literary abandon! Even though I'd really like a part-time job right now, I suppose this is a good month to be thankful that I don't have that to add onto my plate.

I apologize for neglecting the blog(s). As much as I like to dilly-dally around here, I must force myself to remember that there are other more important things that come first: like my education. So while I'm oh-so-very tempted to spend more time than I should blogging away, I must go now and do laundry. (Because clean clothes come before blogging, too.)

Soonly.

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Swap Books for Free!

(Bookworm by Nonfairytales)

If you're like me, you have stacks of books lying around your home. There are books I've read and loved, books I've read and loathed, books I couldn't finish, and books I have yet to stick my nose in. While I can't bear to part with several beloved pageturners, there are several books that I'm more than willing to get rid of. Here's the thing though: I don't want to just toss them out. I don't want to throw them into a garage sale or take them to a used bookstore where they might sit and collect dust. I want them to end up in the deserving hands of a reader who really wants to read that particular book.

My mom introduced me to PaperBack Swap this evening. And, oh! what a great website it is. It's rather simple.

Here's how it works. You list a bunch of books on the site. If you're the first member in your household to list 10 books, you get 2 free credits right off the bat. (My mom beat me to it... so I didn't get those credits.) But if you do get the 2 free book credits, you can order 2 books right away--free of charge--and have them mailed directly to you. No strings attached. No gimmicks. No spam. Nothing.

When another member of the site selects one of your books that you've listed, you mail the book to them. You pay for the postage, but in return you get a free book credit and can select a book that you want. So then another member returns the favor and mails you one of their books free of charge. For every book you mail out, you get another one in return.

When someone requests one of your books, all you have to do is print two pieces of regular paper from your printer which includes the mailing address and the recommended postage. Apply the postage and drop it in the mail. For typical paperbacks, you don't even need to venture to the post office.

If you love to read and save money at the same time, you've gotta check this out.

And if you do decide to sign up, please use the following link:

Swap Your Used Books - PaperBackSwap.com

If you use the link above to join, I'll get a free book when you post your first 10 books. (And you'll still get 2 free books for posting those 10!)

Get swapping, bookworms!

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P.S. I'm not being paid money to advertise PaperBackSwap.com on my blog. The only reward I get would be a book credit from having someone like you sign up and mention me as a referral. I'm sharing about this website because it's something I think is really great. It's a win-win for readers around the world to be able to share books. It'll free up space on your bookshelf and get your nose into a new pageturner.