Wishing you...

 (We're having a green Christmas, but this photo was taken on the first snowfall in Manitoba in November.)

Wishing you a wonderful holiday with your loved ones!
Thank you for all your comments and support this year.
I'll be back in the new year!

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George Whitman

George Whitman, the owner of Shakespeare and Co. bookstore in Paris, died last week. I've long been a faraway fan of his bookstore and the ideals it encapsulates. Though I have yet to visit his store (now run by his daughter Sylvia Whitman), I have written about it here.

His obituary in the New York Times is beautiful and there's an interview with Sylvia, here, on CBC's As It Happens (part two).

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Black and White

 (as it turns out, Cinema L'Amour is a cinema of the adult variety...)

I picked up my roll of black and white film this week and it got me thinking about my favorite films in black and white. Since the winter season is the perfect time to curl up indoors on the couch to watch a movie, I thought I would share with you my all-time favorites (with links to their wikipedia pages).

Rebecca (based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, recommended to me by Jane)
The Third Man
Citizen Kane (Very controversial upon its release - I love to watch documentaries about this film.)
Psycho
Casablanca
The Maltese Falcon (Boagie!)
Shadow of a Doubt (The star, Joseph Cotten is one of my favorite actors of all time. He also stars in The Third Man and Citizen Kane)

Finally, a perfect Christmas film:
It's a Wonderful Life (It was unsuccessful on its release for being too dark. Classic Jimmy Stewart. Watch here)

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Recommended Read: An Object of Beauty

 

  (note: the blue wall!)

I bought Steve Martin's An Object of Beauty, last fall, when it was new on the shelves. I was taken with its stunning design and happy to fork over my precious pennies for such a beauty (pardon my use of the word). However, in the midst of my hectic year it was push aside. I had forgotten all about it until I began to pack up my book shelves for the move.

An Object of Beauty is a love letter, of sorts, to the world of art collecting and art dealers. It follows the career trajectory of the ambitious Lacey Yeager who works her way up the ranks only to succumb to the consequences of her own  ruthlessness. I found myself wavering between the reader eager for comeuppance and a cheerleader for what the book jacket declares to be a lost cause. The tone of the book was surprisingly moralizing, but overall thoroughly entertaining.

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