magic.

this video makes me wish that i was a lot more organized. makes me wish that i could ever have bookshelves that look as beautiful as this. maybe one day. for now, i can just watch this:

i don't know what you're talking about, but it sounds illegal.

did anyone see fantastic mr. fox yet? i can't decide yet if i loved it, or if it was a bit too wes anderson, cutsey, hipster for its own good. pretty sure i'll land on the side of "awesome" though. you can check out the music at the movie's website and watch the trailer below, if you haven't seen that yet. additionally, i saw willem defoe (he plays Rat, of course) last night after seeing the movie. so, that was pretty cool. imdb also tells me that adrien brody (loooove) was in the movie, but i don't recall the specific Field Mouse that he played. then again, mario batali was also in it, so who knows?

enjoy -

never ever leaving this job...

because this is what happens when you ask your friends in the warehouse to send you just 3 books.

my work is ridiculous.

first off, there is a life-size cutout of this in our lobby.

maybe you need an excerpt, if this picture is not enough?

There are many reasons why you might be reading this sentence. You're obviously curious about me, or you wouldn't even be holding this book. That's cool with me, I'm happy about that, Mr. or Mrs. Whoever You Are. If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that curiosity might kill cats, but it doesn't kill people. Unless you're curious about doing things like bungee jumping high on crack to see if you really need that harness, curiosity will not kill you! I tell you what will kill you—people will. We've got a long way to go to change that around, but I hope we do. For now, I can say this and I know it's true: Curiosity makes you smarter. Don't fight it! Learn to learn, learn to ask questions. Clearly, you've got questions about me. In this book you'll find some answers.

obsessed.

"this is a book that i'd love to read" - dan brown

yesss!

handed out in the lobby today:

we've got dan brown fever!

what up, random house!

ever wonder how a book is made? ever wonder how a super awesome book is made (and 5 million copies of it)?? wonder no more! watch the superb video below that features the random house warehouse in maryland as they show you how they assemble and print (and protect) dan brown's new book, the lost symbol, in stores september 15th!

un-fun.

bought this on the street today.

book seller man: "usually when people buy books from me, i tell them to enjoy the book. but...."

first few pages were quite depressing, and i was reading in washington square park in the sunshine. i better finish this before fall really sets in....

science nerd.

yes, i am. and when i found out yesterday that they might be giants is coming out with another (who knew they had any?!) kid's cd/dvd called here comes science, i knew i had to have it. not only do i just love science. and music. and sciencey musicians who also make kidlet music. BUT - it reminds me of one of my all time favorite books, science verse. observe:


















and equally as good as some of the titles in science verse - "amoeba" and "mary had a little worm" - are on the here comes science cd - "meet the elements", "electric car" and "roy g. biv". did i mention that I'm excited??

sometimes, fashion posts are for the boys.

i'm a late bloomer to the j crew land. i used to think their pants were too boxy for me and therefore never shopped there. but a recent trip taught me otherwise, and i am now in love with their skirts and fancy tshirts (my new fav across the board).

so, i was walking by ex-co-workers mailbox today and saw the new j crew catalog. finders keepers! as i was flipping through, i noticed a picture of the moon is down. the pic looked exactly like what you see here, all vintagey and old. um, what? the line next to the picture said "shop our vintage book collection at the Men's Shop in Soho". so - now j crew is telling me how to further accessorize my preppy/hipster lifestyle with old books? that does work well with my already-beat-up leather messenger bag... ok, i'll bite. after some research i found this post about the new soho store, with a very cool slideshow. i lourrrrve the vintage cufflinks they show, as well as the general old-timey vibe of the store. have any of you lovely men been out to the new j crew manland? is it extra cool? or just regular j crew in disguise?

revised office.

pardon my absence. it's tough work when you're the boss!

while i wasn't layin' down the law, i was redecorating my little space (or "cube plus" as rabbi a calls it). got rid of a bookshelf for extra space, found a printer and third lamp... it's quite the cozy spot.

i also stole this quite-awesome poster from the production floor. hopefully they do not miss it. it's pretty apropos to have my office shoe factory right under a "the devil wears prada" poster....

oooooooooooooh!

check out this and 4 additional just-out-now posters for the new HP movie!
which is your fav? i love the one with draco...

excitement.

two things i must share!

a) they are making a movie of one of my all-time favorite books, the time traveler's wife. it's probably the one really romanticy, lovey-dovey thing that i like. if you have not read this book - DO IT. it's a really wonderful story. also, it's set in Chicago. what more could you want?? and while i am excited, i realize that the movie stars eric bana and rachel mcadams... could be a blerg-a-thon. i think i need to know more about how they are translating the book into a movie, or we could be getting into really creepy benjamin-button-stlye-old-man-little-girl-love scenarios.

b) here is a book that i need, and i am not sure why it has yet to be purchased for me!!!

wish i was still in school.

did anyone else catch this wonderful article in the nytimes today? it starts off talking about kids in westchester, ny doing chores and you think "oh boo hoo, rich kids have to do chores." but they are doing chores to raise money for a program called chores mean more. they are paid money (by their parents - some pay as much as $1 per chore - ooooh!) to do chores around the house. the money is then sent to their sister schools in Kenya so kids there can have storybooks and writing supplies. also - Jewish 7th graders wrote rhymes to help african kids learn to read and write stories inspired by Jewish prayers. one student set up a laptop at her bat mitzvah last month for guests to tell their own stories, and created table centerpieces from markers, pencils, crayons, chalk and scissors that will be donated to the african schools. “stories can be written by anyone, no matter your race, religion, gender, wealth or where in the world you live,” she said.

um, i love it. if you want to learn more/get involved, you can go to the LitWorld website. they're having a benefit in New York next month! sign me up!

come ON, dan brown.

i received an email this morning with an announcement stating that dan brown would be releasing a new book with us in the fall. i asked my co-worker if it starred tom hanks again and, via robert langdon, yes it does.

the press release continues: “This is a great day for readers and booksellers,” said Sonny Mehta (chairman and editor-in-chief of knopf doubleday). “The Lost Symbol is a brilliant and compelling thriller. Dan Brown’s prodigious talent for storytelling, infused with history, codes and intrigue, is on full display in this new book. This is one of the most anticipated publications in recent history, and it was well worth the wait.”

let's hope it's that good. the book is having a first printing of five million copies, the largest first printing in random house history. i really really hope the book is all it's cracked up to be, otherwise we could all be in deep doo-doo. as an nymag article (forwarded to me by e with the subject line "you're famous!") said, "if the Greatest Sequel of All Time disappoints, the greatest layoffs of all time are sure to follow.

come on, dan brown...

happiness is...

...having books, books and more books to keep me company at work.

miscellany.

author of one of my most favorite books - ben schott - has an interesting column in the nytimes that i just stumbled upon. if you like vocab, with a smattering of news, then this is for you.

if you enjoy that, then you'll definitely enjoy schott's original miscellany, which is a great little book. originally recommended to me by my (non)uncle d, it's good to have around if you've ever wondered about golf stroke nomenclature, how to tie a bow tie, the usps unofficial motto, or which countries are in the Arab League of States (OR how to tie a sari!)

"nowadays, everybody's crazy."

i started my day with this story.

for anyone who knows me, you'll know that i'm really interested in cults and crime stories. i especially love the manson family (helter skelter is one of my favorite books. if any of this is of interest to you, definitely read it.)

i sent this article to both a and z this morning.

a: aww you love him!
me: i know... i'm nuts.


z: he looks sad. poor guy.
me: who cares?? he's out of his mind!
z: he looks like a nice grandpa. except for the swastika.

really?!

is this really my job?? because all i do all day is horde books. i just went to print something, and on my way found two Elie Wiesel books that i've never read, and this Jerry Seinfeld book. (as z aptly pointed out, both jews.) word on the street is that there is a lot more seinfeld on the 25th floor... may need to make a trip up later. but for real - wow. and i already found Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on tape (ok, on CD) this morning! great success!

overload.

how you know it's time to get some form of bookshelves...