Books about Books
Here is a find I did not even consider including in last week’s letter, although it perfectly encompasses why I created Miss Onion’s Exquisite Finds in the first place. An article on one of my favorite blogs – Modern Mrs Darcy – on books about books!
It’s a beloved niche for me that never fails to bring me pleasure and comfort. As a consequence, since this 2019 article was reshared on their newsletter a few weeks ago, I’ve had the below seven ongoing open tabs in my browser:
- The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
- The Bookshop on the Corner
- Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
- Parnassus on Wheels
- 84, Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street
- The Great Library series
I know I won’t be ordering any new books soon, not with hundreds of unread ones waiting in my library, but I also don’t want to forget about these books that I am certain I will enjoy tremendously. So I’m sharing them here! I am pretty sure that back in 2019 when the article was originally published and I had no blog, I saved some of the titles to my To Read shelf on Goodreads, just to close the tabs. At least now they’re in my own virtual treasure chest.
Check them out, I am sure you will feel inspired!
NFTs – Crypto Art
Everydays: The First 5000 Days, by Beeple (Watch his reaction as the auction was getting to a close – it’s a certain mood booster!)
In one of my other lives, as the wife of a man deeply passionate and very knowledgeable about the world of crypto, I have recently started to learn more about NFTs – non-fungible tokens also known simplistically as crypto art.
The term has been making waves in the past few weeks in mainstream media, one of the main drivers being the first auction by an established house – none other than Christie’s – for an NFT of artist’s Mike Winkelmann (better known as Beeple) entitled Everydays: The First 500 Days, which sold for $69 million! It is in fact a digital collage of 5000 drawings and it is described as the first digital-only artwork auctioned by Christie’s.
Morons, a genius choice for the Burnt Banksy stunt
There was also a rather brilliant stunt, in my opinion, in which a screen-print by Banksy was burnt and then sold as an NFT for a digital-only work, scoring four times the price of what had initially been paid for the original work.
Still, there is also a lot of noise in this space and a lot of pretty useless digital assets like trendy gifs and memes going for ridiculous prices. I think this is something that will settle down with time and hopefully then we’ll see mostly works of art that will stand the test of time rather than hyped-up works that ‘expire’ the moment the artificially boosted conversation has stopped. I am looking forward to that, this is art 2.0 and it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on!
Bonus Exquisite Find is Create Escape, a new work by Banksy on the wall of the HM Prison Reading, best known for its most famous inmate – writer Oscar Wilde.
Something to Look Forward to
The true origin of this quote, often miss-attributed to Elvis Presley or Rita Mae Brown
I’ve been a firm believer in this quote for years and I was happy to stumble upon this Vice article backing the idea by real science. We all strive for the first two – someone to love and something to do, but I think often people forget about the third. You could have the perfect family and a job you love, but at some point you get used to it, it becomes a bit of a routine, you get bored.
So the key for me really is in the third element – something to look forward to, to dream about, to plan and work for. It doesn’t have to be anything big. Especially now, it can be as simple as the weekend newspaper, getting fresh flowers or planning a new walk. I know that’s what keeps me going at the moment.
Read the article and then take time to ask yourself what you are looking forward to? Start a list!
Fireflies
Source (some better quality footage here)
Although camping is not my thing, the image below, by photographer Daniel Kordan, made me think I’d now be planning a camping trip for late May-early June, if I lived in a part of the world where fireflies are common. I have fond memories from my childhood when a group of us children and teens living on the same street used to spend our late evenings outdoors, more than once getting to witness this beautiful phenomenon in person. It’s whimsical, don’t you think?
It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to travel too far too soon, so depending on where you are in the world, I’d say it’s worth looking into this and maybe getting to experience something almost surreal on your doorstep. It could be your ‘something to look forward to’!
Real Life Exquisite Find – A Pre-Loved Watch
Hundreds of ads, dozens of hours, and a return later, I have finally received my ‘something to look forward to’ – a new watch, the present I chose for myself for my 30th birthday. I practice what I preach (and I haven’t suddenly become an heiress), so it is proudly pre-loved.
I know it is a quartz watch from the era before Hermès went into what is called Haute Horlogerie, but I love it for the timeless design and for how it fits with my personal style, which was more important to me. Thank you to a true connaissuese and a writer I follow with much pleasure, for her insights, taking into account personal preference and values as well!
Watches and Bracelets Display
Inspired by the previous exquisite find, this week I started looking into ways of displaying watches and bracelets. I love the giraffe idea, as well as the vintage candlesticks, unfortunately, I have none of those handy currently. I do have quite a few Coca-Cola vintage and collectible bottles and I will give that a go, although I am looking for a more old and classy look, rather than pop-modern.
I also really loved this DIY tutorial for a beautiful necklace display.
Nonalcoholic Drinks
In recent years, I’ve been more and more curious to discover new foods and beverages to enjoy. Two articles shared recently on the Strategist newsletter, about how to stock an alcoholic and nonalcoholic home bar, made me want to look further into ingredients and combinations for nonalcoholic liquid delights.
Tea can be a good basis and I love peach ice tea. I’ve never attempted to make it at home, so I might give it a try this weekend. I also like the sound of this Citrus Peach Cooler, as well as the Watermelon Lemonade, Virgin Mojito or Rhubarb Cordial, and the Mulled Apple Juice for cold days.
I see kombucha mentioned everywhere, on its own or as an ingredient, and now I am curious to try it. Here’s a long list of nonalcoholic drinks and cocktails that might also inspire you!
Also, do you know your seltzer from your mineral water, tonic water and club soda? I didn’t, but after reading about it I think it’s absolutely worth knowing, at the risk of becoming slightly smug about it.
If this letter has offered you a moment of inspiration, kindly forward it to others who might enjoy it too. And if you have been forwarded it, indulge in all previous Miss Onion’s Exquisite Finds and subscribe to the weekly letter.
Follow Miss Onion’s Exquisite Finds on Instagram and Pinterest.
Merci!
2 thoughts on “Miss Onion’s Exquisite Finds – No 36”