Olive * Writes

This is What You Shall Do

2011-09-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.

- Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

An Olive Aside: Have you read Leaves of Grass? I am just delving into its rich celebration of life. (Perhaps too much of a celebration for its nineteenth-century readers, who balked at its language of the body and sexual love). It's readily available online, so you have no excuse not to at least take a glance.

Happy weekending!

Images found here.

An Autumn Return

2011-09-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Ones,

Some people choose spring as the season of rebirth and rejuvenation; Olive prefers autumn. To grow again under the soft, protective foliage of new fallen leaves after the harsh exposure of summer is a temptation Olive cannot, and won't, resist.

How can it be nearly a year since I have posted! Olive has never been very keen on odd-numbered years, and 2011 was not keen on her. Like stomping out the year, crunching the leaves beneath my feet is going to be a satisfying activity this fall, a healing one at that. New things grow from this sort of composting, don't they? That is a heart-warming, and inspiring thought!

All this sounds melancholy, and just a little fierce for someone so diminutive. It's not meant to be. Life has taken on a wonderfully coloured hue of late, and it's time to share the creative whispers that scuttle around Olive's head at night, begging to be set free.

I hope you have not forgotten me, for I have most definitely not forgotten you! Quietness does not equal absence: I have been lurking around all your blogs, even if the comment button has become rusty.

The rain has just stopped, and there is brightness to the south. It's time to go outside for a moment, if only to invite you all back in. Will you join me this September for lots of adventures on Olive Writes? Where shall we go, and what shall we do? Do tell!

The tea is always on,
Olive

Image found here.

A Garden Mystery

2010-10-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

The sun was high and bright today, the crisp air a needed tonic from weekend chores when I decided to pop outside for a spot of gardening. I thought I might push 'round some fallen leaves, scrape the trowel over some weeds, and feel generally invigorated by outdoor work. With the boots on and hair piled out of the way, I was mighty surprised to step outside and find my little plot overgrown with these pesky weeds:

Piggiwiggia Pyramidalis Phattfacia Stupenda

Cockatooca Superba Bottlephorkia Spoonifolia

An invasive species, wouldn't you say! A bit of research has turned up their Latin roots, but I wonder if their literal stocks will be harder to yank out? And I wonder if any of you have experienced a blight of Cockatooca Superba or Bottlephorkia Spoonifolia? Shall we make it into a little game? Yes, we shall. The first reader to correctly identify the origins of this bit of verdure gets a well-deserved mention!

Bit of a Ramble...

2010-10-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

Got into a spot of trouble at the post office yesterday... As I have, perhaps foolhardily, resubscribed to a number of lapsed magazine subscriptions (and added a number more, too) my wee little box was crammed full with October/November issues when I excitedly wrenched it open yesterday evening. So full was it that, at the risk of losing a nail, I had to get down on my knees and actually yank my Vogue, W, and Town & Country out from their metal prison. Unfortunately, there was a casualty: Martha fell back into the abyss of the post office sorting area! I was saved by my friendly postman who cheerily trotted back to get her.

Anyway, this story leads me in a round about way to today's post: "What I Gleaned From the September Issue of Vogue (so far)." Having all these new magazines has led me to frantically finish September's (or I will be reading about Christmas trees in February).

What I have discovered is the Conde Nast Store, a very extensive resource of art prints from the magazine conglomerate that can be bought online (and framed, to boot). For example, they offer:

Pretty darn stylish, I must say. They also have a blog that offers "an insider's view into the wealth of images" held in the collection.

Look What I Won!

2010-10-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

Winning a contest was a super way to start Olive's week! This "Poppy Leaves" coffee cup cozy from CuteCozy will keep her Pumpkin Spice Lattes extra toasty. And now she won't have to use the one she bought for her sister last Christmas. Karmic, don't you think?

Olive Tweets

2010-09-21T18:38:00.001-07:00

Olive did not know she could chirp, warble, squawk or peep so easily! Twitter has drawn me in with its bird imagery and succinct notes. I rather like to imagine a world of nests, filled with little birds merrily tweeting to each other as they flutter about their day. Hop into my nest for a little visit and please send me the address of yours! I promise to drop by with a juicy worm.

Oh and if you are curious about my image, it is from "The Child's World," a free ebook available on Project Gutenberg. Look for more from it soon...

Eau de Olive

2010-09-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

Lately, Olive has been pondering her fall wardrobe (sans the September issue of Vogue, which has yet to arrive). Boots are a must, as are some new jeans (oh the dread that accompanies a trip to find a new pair). Blazers, yes, and maybe one of those new field jackets to take me on those long walks across damp fields and misty woods. Yet, I think I am most interested in a more ephemeral accessory: perfume.

I've come to realize that a properly done outfit is not finished without a hint of jasmine, a dash of rose or a punch of citrus. Walking past someone perfumed in a pleasing eau de toilette leaves a lingering hint of personality or mood, as well as the obvious odoriferous pleasure (or displeasure, as your taste decrees).

As of right now, however, my perfume collection stands at one quickly emptying bottle of Vera Wang's Princess. Lovingly squirted on neck and wrists and entrenched in nearly all my clothes, it will be used up with regret. Of course, this means it's time for a new bottle!

And so, what do you suggest? Nothing too heavy, but not too young, either. Feminine, but not cloying. Sweet, but not sickly so.

I await your help.

Back at Last

2010-09-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

So shall Olive begin with hellos or explanations? How about the 'hello'! Spring and summer whipped away in that swirling existence called life: studying and working, vacations and days in the sun...and one very broken computer. But those are excuses! Olive (me!) is happy to be back with her favourite folk at Olive Writes. Will you come back and join me? I hope so! I have some really splendid ideas for the coming months that I won't share with you now if only to tempt you back little by little. Send me notes of your best summer moments, as well as what is enticing you forward into fall.

Always,
Olive

Stop Press!

2010-02-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

We shall return to sensory delights soon, but Olive had to share her day's activities with you!

As she resides just outside of Vancouver, Olive is awash in all things Olympics these days. As such, when the Olympic flame passed by her house today, she gleefully put on a pair of the famous red mittens (no matter that it was quite warm and her daffodils were popping up) and cheered on the torchbearers! She was rather awed by the thought of the flame, lit in Greece in October and having travelled all the way across Canada.

And so today's fun little question... Which of these is your favourite Olympic mascot? Olive loves Mukmuk, the round little marmot.

Sensory Delights: Yours!

2010-02-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

In honour of her much-appreciated readers, some of your favourite sensory delights! Olive is in full agreement with them both.

Vanilla

After a long day, Olive often enjoys warm milk flavoured with aromatic vanilla. Let milk gently simmer (no boiling), then add vanilla extract or the seeds themselves.

Gardenia

Its strong, sweet scent hides the fact that gardenia are actually part of the coffee family. Most appropriately for this time of year, gardenia symbolizes secret love. As an aside, pop over here to read what other kinds of love different flowers symbolize. Olive wouldn't mind a bunch of blue bells...

Click images for sources.
Vanilla information: wikipedia.
Gardenia: here

Sensory Delights: Sound

2010-02-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

The moan of doves in immemorial elms,
And murmuring of innumerable bees.

- from "Come Down, O Maid" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

The languid onomatopoeia of these lines of poetry have never ceased to fill me with the most glorious feeling of ease and warmth. One can imagine the delight of a summer's afternoon, still early enough that time stretches before you, unhindered by worldly concerns. The distant drone of bees slips you into a luscious slumber...

Image: Rodney Smith

Sensory Delights

2010-02-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

That little gem of a phrase "a few scattered pleasures" from Monday's post has stuck with Olive all week. Yes, yes, we were being told to seek more than ephemeral joy, but it's rather tricky to find complete life happiness! While she waits for an epiphany, Olive is enjoying gathering together a collection of sensory joys which, when added together, perhaps are what will make life happy to the "whole amount."

From bits of poetry to subtle scents, Olive shall share with you the sensory delights of her life. She does require something in return, however: the sensory joys that thrill you! Do share, please.

Image: We Heart It

Monday's Thought

2010-02-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

"The important question is not, what will yield to man a few scattered pleasures, but what will render his life happy on the whole amount."

-- Joseph Addison

Olive has been considering happiness lately, its unexpectedness, elusiveness and sheer mystery. Many, many things give her "a few scattered pleasure." (Lately? The smell of matches just lit). Yet, she wonders. What will offer the most lifelong and satisfactory happiness? Perhaps her readers could share their thoughts!

This quote arrived one happy day in Olive's inbox via the appropriately named blog (and book) The Happiness Project. Thoughtfully and intelligently written, it's well worth a close look.

Image: Vi.sualize

What She's Eating

2010-01-26T10:29:00.000-08:00

Olive had too, too much fun making you all guess what bears love to eat! At last, all shall be revealed. Olive was thinking more Winnie than Grizzly, and thus the answer is... honey!

A golden thread of ancient goodness, Olive adores honey! She could wax enthusiastic about the different kinds (alfalfa to manuka) and uses (in tea, drizzled on yogurt), but she shall restrain herself to introducing you to a new take on an old favourite: what was once basic honey on toast is reinvented as Japanese Honey Butter Toast! A scrumptious treat topped with a round of ice cream, Olive think Winnie (and Tigger, too) would happily lap it up all afternoon.

Japanese Honey Toast:

4 thick slices square-shaped white bread, crusts removed

Softened butter

Honey

1 scoop vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Stack the bread up squarely and spread butter over each of the 4 sides. Unstick and spread each slice of bread with as much or as little of the butter as you prefer. With a cookie cutter (round, square, star-shaped, etc.) cut into the middle of each slice of bread, but do not remove the part that has been cut. Leave it in the bread. Stack the slices on top of each other at right angles to form a three-dimensional 4-point star shape. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 3 to 5 minutes until the bread is golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate and drizzle with the honey, again using as much or as little as you prefer. Top with a scoop of ice cream and serve immediately. Eat with a knife and fork.

Makes 1 serving.

Recipe: The Vancouver Sun

Image: Flikr

What She's Celebrating

2010-01-25T14:04:00.001-08:00

My goodness, you didn't forget, did you? It's Robbie Burns Day! Olive will be laying out her best plaid napkins, warming up the haggis (yum! truly) and reading a selection of Mr. Burns poetry in her best Scottish brogue. Even if you don't share Olive's deep Scottish roots, liven up this Monday evening with warm scones with clotted cream and jam.

Don't you be looking up any kilts, now!

What's She Admiring

2010-01-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

Olive so loved this image she wanted to share it for almost no reason at all! It does, however, relate to Olive's next missive... Clue: what do bears love to eat (aside from a warm beverage, in this case)?

Image: deviantArt

What She's Drinking

2010-01-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

Olive doesn't like to engage in needless hyperbole, but when she sat in the doctor's office and was sternly told "no dairy or soy" her first panicked thought was of hot chocolate! How does one make said fortifying drink without the help of a decent cow or at least a soybean?

Well, a few months passed, cocoa-less and far less enjoyable on the palate, until one day Olive discovered true "drinking chocolate." The grandchild of the potent brew consumed by Aztecs, today's South American mixture is an aromatic mix of quality chocolate, "spices, chilies, honey, vanilla, or even cornmeal." Traditionally stirred with a molinillo - a grooved stick - Olive's latte whipper also did the trick. Although it can be made with milk, Olive found using water just fine (so there, Doctor). Follow this recipe and tell Olive if the humble cow cannot be put out to pasture!

Pssst... A little extra fun: According to the Texas State Library and archives commission, children in Mexico sing this (scroll down) song while stirring their morning chocolate with the molinillo.

Information: edible Vancouver
Image: chocolate.com

What She's Pondering

2010-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday

- author unknown

On a somewhat worrisome day of Olive's, a week or two ago, a late Christmas gift arrived in the mail for her. It was this bicycle charm, sweet in itself, but all the more appreciated because of the timely quote that accompanied it. As a new week begins, Olive hopes you, like her, won't worry too much about tomorrow!

Bicycle charm: Copperbleu

What She Learnt

2010-01-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

"Factrice" is the French word for postmistress.

Now wouldn't it be intriguing to be the postmistress of a little French village, if only for a day, sorting and snooping through other people's mail? Exotic postmarks, intriguing handwriting, gloriously suspicious lumps and bumps...

This fact was found at The French Factrice, a blog devoted to antique postcards. If you're like Olive and have a soft spot for this sort of mail, The French Factrice is for you.

What She's Reading

2010-01-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Is it wrong to secretly be glad when one comes down with the sniffles? Certainly, the symptoms are not to be envied. Yet, once the extra-strength medicine has been gulped down and the aches subside, isn't there a quiet relief in forced rest and reading? Olive felt rather guilty at such feelings when she succumbed to the latest bug last week, but not so badly that she didn't curl up with a pile of tomes beside her, somewhat manic with glee (and said tonics) at the possibility of a good read. Curious as to what she stuck her little red nose into? She is happy to divulge.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
Lewis Carroll

From the moment Olive saw its pale gray and flamingo festooned cover to the appearance of the White Rabbit on page two, she was utterly enchanted with this classic tale, first published in 1865. Let her tempt you with this quote from page one:

So she was considering, in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.

Shakespeare: The Life, The Works, The Treasures
Catherine M.S. Alexander

Olive loves Shakespeare (even better when he's "In Love"), but can a muddled, sick brain make it through Richard III. I'm sorry, Mr. S, but no. That's why Olive so loves this book; it contains pull-out facsimile documents of Shakespeare's baptismal record, his marriage bond and beyond. Olive can assure you she had great fun extracting these old documents from their parchment pockets, as Will (could you resist?) any Shakespeare fan.

Death of a Dude
Rex Stout

Olive adores mysteries, but preferably of the pre-CSI variety. As such, she was thrilled to receive this vintage Nero Wolfe novel for Christmas. But what? You have not heard of the rotund New York detective who lives in a luxurious brownstone and grows orchids when not nabbing criminals? Nor of his street-smart, breezy side-kick, Archie Goodwin? Tsk Tsk. Olive encourages you to trot down to your library or vintage bookstore to investigate!

Happy Reading & Good Health!

She's Back

2010-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

A Happy New Year to you all! Olive has returned from a holiday hiatus, perhaps a little frazzled from the festive season, but recovering nicely. She hopes you enjoyed a time of sparkling jollity and refreshment of the spirit. Hmmm, come to think of it, that is just what Olive wishes to achieve this year at Olive Writes! She very much hopes you will stick around to see if she succeeds.

This week, Olive gets downright personal! We learn what she's reading, watching, wearing, eating and beyond. This is not just an exercise in narcissism, however. No, she wants to discover what you think of her tastes and habits. Perhaps there is a better novel out there, a warmer pair of mittens. Ah! But we must not divulge facts too early. Stay tuned!

Storytime

2009-12-16T14:11:00.000-08:00

Although the snip of scissors and the fresh rustle of wrap are festive sounds enough, it is awfully agreeable to accompany wrapping with a bit more auditory pleasure. Christmas carols are an obvious choice, but if you've heard enough singing cheer while shopping, opt instead for a story. Toast is streaming a free reading of Along the Enchanted Way by William Blacker for just such a time. As Toast tells us...

Along the Enchanted Way recounts William Blacker’s adventure as he travels east from London to the mountains of Romania. As the Berlin wall falls and the Soviet Union crumbles he seemingly moves back in time - away from modern western comforts to a simpler, but happier, life spent between two remote villages...

Olive is going to make a mug of Christmas blend tea, unwrap her new ribbon and settle into an evening of wrapping and storytelling. She encourages you to do the same.

The Christmas Stocking

2009-12-16T10:45:00.000-08:00

"The stockings were hung by the fire with care..."

As much as crisply wrapped parcels, bags of abundant tissue (reused, of course) and little boxes exquisitely tied with crimson ribbon cause Olive's heart to leap with anticipation, she is secretly enamored with a far simpler gift giving medium: the humble stocking! How she waits for its limp form to be plumbed up with the most basic, yet appreciated of gifts. Indeed, lying deep amongst the new lip glosses, toe warmers and face creams hides her favourite gift of all - a mandarin orange, tucked lovingly into the stocking's toe each year.

Just like such a stocking, Olive's Christmas posts will be a medley of simple, yet gently chosen gifts. She hopes they bring a flush of warm holiday spirit to your cheeks and just a twinkling of calm to the bustle of your day.

Image: {this is glamorous}

Homemade: Miscellany

2009-12-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

This post may have been prompted more by Olive's wish to use the word "miscellany" than anything else! A "mixture" does this word mean and today Olive offers you a delightful medley of homemade gift ideas.

Yet, there is a little thread tying them all together into a neat package. This time of year often feels so laden - deep tones, ample refreshment and bits and bobs decking the home from the tip of the rooftop to the bottom of the tree. My, don't you yearn from something a bit lighter and airier, if only for a moment? If so, these gifts have a delicacy and lightness to help you float through the season.

Teacup Lights

If you have a miscellany (two uses in one day!) of mismatched teacups and heaps of half-burned candles, simply buy wicking and new light will emerge.

Egg Cup Candles

Have little bits of wicking left over? Follow the same directions for egg cup candles. You can delve even deeper into your inherited china collection and turn sugar bowls, creamers and the like into a luminescent candle collection. Wax adheres well to porcelain, ceramic and glass.

Cookie Cutter Soap

Made with any shape of cookie cutter and some glycerin, these sweetly translucent soaps are easier to make than a batch of gingerbread. Olive thinks she will try a series of pastel Christmas ones, perhaps adding a drop of lavender for extra bathing pleasure.

* * *

Olive hopes she has spurred you onto great (and easy) heights of handmade Christmas joy. If you are feeling a tingling in your fingers to continue, these sites will offer even more outlets to let your inner elf out:

* Festive Holiday Craft Projects - includes snow globes!

* Bath and Spa Gifts - Olive tested, these are always easy and inexpensive.

* Handmade Gifts for Him - for those tricky fellows who don't like to light a homemade candle and sit in gardenia salts.

* Gifts to Really Make - Olive has warned you: these gifts may involve a needle or some knitting skills! Just look at that charming bear, though. How could you not attempt him?

Handmade: Coupon Books

2009-12-05T18:35:00.000-08:00

"What is the best gift you've ever given someone," asked one of Santa's elves as he and Olive spent a quiet evening crafting homemade silhouettes (see previous post) for friends and family.

With nary a pause, Olive glanced up from her workbench and replied, "coupons!"

The elf sniffed derisively, "Coupons! Pfft! Do they take skill, craftsmanship and many hours of labour? I don't think so. Hardly a memorable gift."

Olive only smiled to herself. Why upset the poor fellow (elves are, I'm afraid, prone to oversensitivity) by telling him that the most mentioned gifts she had given last Christmas were said coupons? Had not the free pedicures, offers of cleaning and coffee dates not been cashed in ever so quickly? In fact, she was sure she had seen the same ticket used twice! This year she plans to stuff stockings with ribbon tied scrolls offering movies for two, window washing and cookie baking. She would however, be wise to include a disclaimer: Valid for One Use Only!

Kodak Coupon Book

An easy-to-download set of five coupons, including dog washing, baby sitting and yard work.

fookaDESIGNS

This smartly designed book of four coupons allows for the ultimate ease in gift giving: a few choice words, a pop into the stocking and pour yourself a cheering cup of eggnog.

This Week at Olive Writes

2009-11-30T10:29:00.000-08:00

Just step out your door for a moment, if you please. Delicately sniff the air like a fawn on a morning of new fallen snow. It's there, isn't it? That whiff of holiday times as they sweep nearer and nearer to us, bringing on their wing much convivial atmosphere, toothsome goodies and packages full of hidden delights.

Yet, these glad times must be nurtured along with our own festive preparations, and so we busy ourselves in feverish anticipation. Olive is simply abuzz with ribbons that threaten to roll hither and thither, parcels precariously carried through wet winter weather and lists as long as those of Santa's workshop.

Speaking of workshops, this week Olive Writes becomes just that! With mirthful merriment and the efficiency of elves, we shall fashion our own gifts for those very close to our holiday hearts. Nothing too taxing, mind you! Elegance and simplicity - that is what we will aim for.

It's homemade gift week at Olive Writes!

Image: We Heart It

Handmade: Silhouette Portraits

2009-11-26T20:29:00.000-08:00

While most of Olive's elvish friends are busy working away on train sets and rocking horses, board games and windup toys, she has managed to steal a couple sprites from St. Nick's bench to assist with her first homemade gift: silhouette portraits!

So smart and dignified, isn't she? Sip your Earl Grey tea with honey whilst creating either a two-tone or traditional black silhouette using Photoshop. For a bit more tactile satisfaction, snip your way to a finished product. Of course, if you are already drowning in a sea of ribbons, shopping and baking, simply...

Custom Cut Silhouette
Paper Cuts by Joe

...order a portrait! Paper Cuts by Joe creates hand-cut silhouette portraits with an easy "add to cart" click.

At last, a portrait Olive is happy to sit for. Didn't you notice, it requires neither makeup nor perfectly coiffed hair, an outfit choice or a perky smile!

A Chocolate Dream

2009-11-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

From New York to Arizona, Olive has delicately sipped frothy cappuccinos, foam tickling her nose, slurped up a white chocolate mocha that sent her spinning happily about her day and licked up thick, thick whipped cream. Squeezing into her favourite pair of leggings, Olive wonders if she has room for any more indulgences. She must! Her home town is last on her voyage and it's time to show it off. Mercifully, there is but one plane ride left. She buckles in, declines the peanuts and, surprisingly, drifts off into a gentle, dreamy slumber...

A chocolate maker appears before her eyes. A man from the Black Forest region of Germany (how Hansel and Gretel!), one who blessedly decided to immigrate to Vancouver and fill all its residents full of the most sublime and celebrated chocolates they had ever tasted...

He opened a shop with a crimsom ceiling, a little plant where one could watch the white-coated Willy Wonkas craft award-winning chocolates infused with cinnamon and Earl Grey tea, fresh oranges and chili

And the famous Sparkle cookies! Dubbed the "World's Best Cookie" by some, these are creations of deeply chocolate, truffle-like rapture...

Olive is swooning in her sleep, but there is more! Yes, it is chocolate, but too pure to be labelled mere "hot chocolate." This is a liquid sensory experience of the richest Aztec fantasy. Olive licks her lips just a little, the heat of primal cocoa rises up, a touch of chili...

Oh my! With a grunt and nary an apology, Olive's seat mate is making his way heavily across her toes. How cruel that such a dream should be interrupted just as she was taking her first sip. Nevertheless, she knows what her first stop will be once this wretched plane lands... To Thomas Haas Chocolates she will head!

* * *

If you are feeling faint for a nibble of chocolate, Olive suggests ordering something from Mr. Haas himself (Sparkle cookies can now be ordered and baked at home!). For more visual satisfaction, click your way over to me Hungry! and read about this New Yorker's very welcoming trip to said chocolate shop and patisserie.

Images: Thomas Haas and me Hungry!

A Wee Tale in Tucson

2009-11-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

Olive had such a terrific time sipping her way through New York earlier this week that it was with regret and a sad glance backward (perhaps also induced by her fear of flying) that she buckled her seat belt and continued her journey towards lattes unknown. Yet, she should not have despaired! Tucson was her next stop and oh! How it has charmed her. Of course, she has had another expert guide to push her through the most delightful of cafe doors, Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist. Whenever Olive desires true originality and magical artistic talent, it is to A Fanciful Twist she turns. Today, Vanessa sweeps us away on a narrative journey of coffee bliss. Do enjoy!

Tucson has many places to indulge in warm sipping delicacies. However, as a special treat I like to visit The Cup Café, located inside of Hotel Congress in downtown Tucson.

For today, one of my alter ego illustrations, Fungi Waitress Girl, is itching to take us there.

In my opinion, The Cup Café has many facets to it. First of all, you access the café entrance through The Hotel Congress lobby, which imparts a vintage/historic quality to the café.

The café embodies a feeling of quaintness and charm mixed with funky and fabulous (all the while offering a wide scale menu, including fine dining and renowned desserts). You can sit out on the patio or sit inside and feel an unusual times past vibe.

I love to find myself alone or with friends, seated at a little table right in this space...

In the past few years I have become an avid coffee drinker, and while I prefer my coffee served black-

I love the cappuccinos at The Cup and will indulge in one whenever possible. Frothy, hot, smooth goodness...

And while you sip, you can sit around and read saying on the wall...

However, if I am feeling extra naughty and long for a hot sip-able dessert -

I will partake in their scrumptious hot chocolate topped anyway you like. My favorite way is with a dollop of sweet cream and sprinkled with cinnamon. Yummy!

Now, if you would like to create you very own decadent hot perfect for chilly nights sip-able dessert chocolate in the privacy of your own home, than I have just the idea for you.

If you make your hot chocolate at home with milk (say 3 cups of milk or so), try popping a vanilla bean into your milk before cooking. Then cook your milk to just below boiling (about 5-6 minutes at medium heat).

Remove the vanilla bean from your milk and scrape out the seeds from inside of the bean, stirring the seeds back into your milk still in the saucepan. Then, let the seeds sit in the milk to infuse it with flavor, covering it for about 10 minutes. Then add your chocolate however you normally do. If you use syrup, turn your flame on to a low heat and add the syrup to the milk mixture, stirring until the chocolate is fully blended.

If you prefer using block chocolate, I like to melt my block chocolate in 1 cup of milk (amount of chocolate to taste 3-5 oz.) in a separate saucepan, while my milk infuses with my vanilla bean seeds in a separate saucepan. Then I combine both mixtures after I have infused the milk for ten minutes in one saucepan and the chocolate has melted in another stirring until well blended. Top with cream and freshly grated cinnamon.

A vanilla bean is a simple way to take your hot chocolate to a whole other level of deliciousness.

----------------------------

Vanessa Valencia {A Fanciful Twist}
Website: VanessaValencia.Com
Blog: A Fanciful Twist {Through the Secret Keyhole}

PS. Olive apologizes for the variety of fonts in this post... She is tempted to retreat to pen and ink!

Sipping in the City: Part 2

2009-11-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

As promised, Cafe Fashionista is back to guide us around the cafes of New York and tantalize us with some truly decadent recipes! Start perking your coffee and settle in; this post, like a really good cappuccino, deserves to be savoured.

“No coffee can be good in the mouth that does not first send a sweet offering of odor to the nostrils.”

Henry Ward Beecher

Financier Patisserie – Stone Street

Please ignore the fact that Brooks Brothers reigns within the four walls of Stone Street’s Financier Patisserie. You really can’t be surprised; after all, it’s located in the heart of the Financial District. At the same time, whenever I so much as glance upon the exterior of this Wall Street wonder, I feel as if I’m transported to picturesque Paris or idyllic Italy. While many cafes embrace dark color schemes, Financier Patisserie sets itself apart by flaunting light and airy hues, outdoor tables, and elegant windows – all of which work as one to create an adorable atmosphere perfect to indulge in two of my favorite things: mochaccinos and madeleines. A word of warning…since Financier Patisserie is known for their scrummy pastries please, please, please do not walk out that door without at least a chocolate croissant or brownie in tow. They are a heavenly complement to any warm drink you happen to order. 62 Stone Street (between Mill Lane and Hanover Square), New York, NY 10004.

Pumpkin Pie Latte

Ingredients

-1 tablespoon canned pumpkin

-2 tablespoons vanilla extract

-1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-1 cup milk

-1/2 cup strong coffee, or ¼ cup espresso

In a saucepan, heat milk and pumpkin until steaming. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Put mixture in a blender and blend for 15-20 seconds until thick and foamy. Pour into tall glass, then add coffee (or espresso). Top with a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice or ground nutmeg. Makes 1 serving.

“The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

B Cup Café – East Village

If given the choice between moving into the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, or residing at the East Village’s B Cup Café for all of eternity, darlings I have no qualms about proclaiming that I would not even hesitate before announcing my decision…the B Cup Café, of course! While the free WiFi, Caramel Café Mocha, White Chocolate Café Mocha, and Hot Chocolate have lured me into the charming hot spot time and time again, these are not the main reasons for my frequent visits. Mais non! The truth of the matter is that I am convinced that one could find love in this enchanting East Village nook.

There’s something about the ambiance found within that makes you feel as if you will meet the cute boy of your dreams while standing in line awaiting your Frozen Vanilla and White Chocolate Café Mocha, or cozily perched upon the olive green couch flipping through the latest issue of ELLE. Perhaps your eyes will lock between sips of splendor, leading the two of you to share a Bagel with Cream Cheese before strolling into the sunset, destined to live happily ever after. It sounds outlandish, but I truly do believe that there is potential for such a tale to take place within the alluring atmosphere. 212 Ave. B. (Corner of E. 13^th St.), New York, NY 10009.

Toffee Hot Chocolate

from Rachel Ray

Ingredients

-4 cups whole milk

-1/2 cup water

-1/2 cup sugar

-6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

-2 ounces butterscotch chips

-1 canister whipped cream

-1 toffee bar, crushed (recommended: Heath bars)

Heat milk, water, sugar to a boil, remove from heat and stir in chocolate and butterscotch chips until they melt into milk. Pour into small mugs or cups and top with whipped cream swirls and crushed toffee. Makes 4 servings.

Fashionably yours!
Erika
Cafe Fashionista

Introducing: Dandy Lion Press

2009-11-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

What does one do when one sits and sips in a cafe, nestled in, waiting for the caffeine to do its necessary work? Olive says we watch the latest arrivals come swooping in, like birds alighting on their nests after a particularly windy flight; we listen with ears hidden amongst a thin bit of newsprint; perhaps we flirt over the cream and honey.

As inviting as these gentle pursuits are, what Olive really wants to do is spend a quiet afternoon in her favourite corner (no drafts, a view of the street, access to the cinnamon shaker) with a crisp sheet of stationery in front of her, jotting off notes to her very best of friends. She wants particularly, however, to do it on a note card from Dandy Lion Press. Ah, you saw the pictures and agree? Read on to learn about this wonderful company and the reason Olive is longing to write, write, write!

Playing with Fireworks Card

Dandy Lion Press is a small letterpress print shop located in San Francisco’s Mission District that specializes in creating greeting cards, notebooks, calendars and prints featuring flora and fauna often whimsical in nature. All the images used are original pen and ink drawings or linoleum cuts created especially for this line. The pieces are individually printed on two vintage letterpress machines, a Vandercook SP 25 originally used for proofing newspapers and a Chandler and Price 8 x 12 platen press which is over a hundred years old. New to Dandy Lion Press’s line are tee shirts for children and adults using images originally from the greeting cards including Jackalopes, flying fish and fierce bad rabbits.

New Rabbit Card

Olive is so proud to have Dandy Lion Press as an Olive Writes sponsor! Start your Christmas shopping at their Etsy store and delight your family and friends with some whimsy and old-fashioned craftsmanship.

Sipping in the City - Part 1

2009-11-17T01:00:00.000-08:00

Could Olive really begin her quest for a bracing bit of winter refreshment anywhere but in New York City? Hardly. And could she have found a more agreeable guide than Erika of Cafe Fashionista? Not likely. A required stop on Olive's daily tour of the blogging world, Cafe Fashionista is spot-on fashion and the most charming writing this side of the library stacks! For the next two days, she shall indulge us with her favourite N.Y.C coffee haunts, as well as some truly delectable recipes to try yourself. And so, to New York...

“Given enough coffee, I could rule the world.”

Believe it or not, I was not always the coffee lover that I am today. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, it was just shy of three years ago that I was turning my nose up at the steaming cups of caffeine, refusing to so much as smell the muddy blend let alone allow it to pass my lips. Even at this stage of the game, as much as I adore a kick of java every few hours, I can’t credit myself with being a coffee connoisseur or aficionado in any way, shape, or form; I’m simply a passionate individual with a desire to sip on something warm and cozy – a beverage synonymous with the comforts of a well-loved knit sweater. The fact that it helps me to get through the day…well, that’s just frosting on the cupcake!

But I digress; admittedly I would never survive without a cup of Joe early in the morning, or a calming cappuccino in the afternoon, or even an invigorating mug of hot chocolate right before bed. How I ever survived without such luxurious concoctions is truly unfathomable.

For me, warm beverages are the equivalent of an old friend re-entering one’s world, or a cute boy doing something unexpectedly romantic just to make you smile. They are a part of the simplicities in life that make one’s existence enchanting, charming, and magnificent with a singular sip. Therefore it is truly no surprise that I have my favorites; Toffee Hot Chocolate, White Chocolate Coffee, and Pumpkin Pie Lattes being amongst my most beloved brews. But I’ve learned over time that savoring such delicacies in the privacy of one’s home can often leave a bitter taste in the drinker’s mouth.

It may sound silly. Perhaps a whimsical notion, you might say; but it’s the truth. I feel that ambiance and a charming surrounding truly do play roles in how much or how little an individual enjoys ones warm drink du jour. Cobblestoned patios add character; brick walls provide history; and very light jazz music murmuring in the background establishes old-fashion noir and glamour. Thus, when I find myself navigating the concrete jungle that is New York, I do not seek out, or comb various neighborhoods searching for the most commercialized, well-known coffee shops.

In a city as full of life and personality as New York I see these locations as clichéd. When experiencing a new place, it is best to immerse yourself in the culture and aestheticism that you would be unable to experience anywhere else. Therefore I rummage for regal little gems with the ability to tantalize my taste buds and proffer an ambrosial atmosphere. These are just three of my absolute favorites.

“No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee’s frothy goodness.”

Sheikh Abd-al-Kadir

Red Horse Café – Park Slope, Brooklyn

Despite the fact that I think of Park Slope’s Red Horse Café as a blogger’s paradise, I am truly not being biased by stating that this is one of my favorite little places to hide out in whenever I find myself in New York. Located on the corner of 12^th Street and 6^th Avenue. Red Horse Café is, without a doubt, one of the most darling places I have ever found myself dwelling in. Due to the fact that it’s located in Brooklyn, you have the New York City cultivation and attitude, coupled with the captivating quaintness most often seen in the suburbs – a fact that is pinpointed by the tree-lined streets visible through the windows; hence, you get the best of both worlds.

But outer sights don’t even begin to compare with the beauty found right within Red Horse. The walls are lined with pieces created by the hands of local artists; while overstuffed couches, armchairs, café tables, and window-mounted bars with stools create heavenly seating options for everyone. The true charm of Red Horse, however, comes from the fact that it’s a multifaceted venue that serves yummy iced coffee (with coffee ice cubes as opposed to water-based ones!) and mind-blowing mochas to bloggers, couples, old friends, and families throughout the mornings and afternoons; then transforms into a hipster hangout featuring live musicians, and other special events come nightfall. It’s the type of place one never wants to leave; but since you ultimately have to, don’t do so without grabbing a cupcake or handful of macaroons! 497 6^th Ave. (between 11^th and 12^th St.), Brooklyn, NY 11215.

“I orchestrate my mornings to the tune of coffee.”

Harry Mahtar

White Chocolate Coffee

Ingredients

-3 ounces white chocolate, chopped

-2 cups half-and-half or whole milk

-2 cups hot freshly brewed coffee

-Whipped cream and chocolate curls

Microwave the chocolate and half-and-half in a medium microwavable bowl on HIGH for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the coffee. Pour into large cups or mugs. Top each serving with whipped cream and chocolate curls, if desired. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Cafe Fashionista will return tomorrow with two more cafes and two more recipes to tempt you with. In the meantime, read her post on three of San Diego's best coffee shops. Olive is sorely tempted to hop the next flight to California just to visit these little gems!

This Week at Olive Writes

2009-11-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

There is a chill whipping 'round Olive these days, tossing her freshly straightened locks into a tangle and sending sprays of worrisome water across her precious handbag. Where to escape to when the weather doesn't agree? I am not particular, says Olive, as long as it offers a welcoming environ, genial company and most most of all, lusciously steamy drinks to quaff with a grateful heart.

If you too are feeling a numbness from outside in these days, Olive Writes is the spot to thaw out. With the help of some lovely guest bloggers, Olive shall be nipping into the most charming of spots and discovering some delectable drink recipes along the way. Perhaps she will even brave the bleak forecast and venture out, Thermos in hand. Wait and see!

Toast

2009-11-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

Like its namesake, British catalog Toast is warmth and comfort, simplicity and ease. Olive loves the raw styling of its pages, which speak to her of a cabin on a breathless lake, a wild horse on a windswept moor, thick mugs and flannel sheets. Indeed, she wonders, what would a day of Toast look like? Perhaps as follows.

Jam, Marmalade and a Herringbone Napkin

Breakfast, not in bed, but tucked beside your little wood burning stove. The bread is thick, fresh. You cut two slices so as to try both the raspberry and the marmalade. Take a bite while the kettle boils!

Cord Skirt, Roslea Shirt, Wellies, Satchel

The house was stuffy and confining today and your writing was suffering from it. You crave fresh, biting air and a satisfying walk over hard ground. Just in case inspiration should strike, you fling a notepad and pencil in your satchel.

Flannel Gown and Pajamas

Yes, sir, you will sleep well tonight! That walk took you over hill and dale and all the way over to that nice shepherd's house by the river. He does make a good cup of hot cocoa. Still, you are glad to tuck in early tonight... Your feet demand it. Maybe a piece of toast before bed?

If still photos aren't enough for you, watch Toast's Winter '09 catalog come to life in this four minute film.

Pedlars

2009-11-08T11:25:00.000-08:00

Olive almost wishes there was less to like about Pedlars, the too friendly, too fun and too fantastic mail-order catalog from Scotland. How on earth to choose what to feature, she wonders? Specializing in wholly unique objects for the home and beyond, including vintage items, Pedlars is the mail-order version (online or storefront, if you're in the UK) of a classic shop run by really jolly people. Not only do they love everything they sell you, their "never quibble guarantee" proves the won't hate you if change your mind.

As she could post an absolute riot of her favorite Pedlars finds, Olive appropriately chose three with a British theme. We hope they put you in the mood for a pot of tea and a biscuit.

I Love London Mugs

London Cityscape Tea Light Holder

I Love London Cushions

P.S. If you are a lazy music listener like Olive, the people at Pedlars have a great ear. Their music selections are usually far ahead of the curve, allowing you the satisfaction of appearing so as well.

The Delight of Catalogs

2009-11-06T10:48:00.001-08:00

Olive can't help herself. The Olive family tree is just bursting with lovers of mail-order catalogs! As a toddler, she waddled through piles of L.L Beans and Lillian Vernons, growing up with the delicious expectation of fresh, glossy ones to come. As a sensible, mature person do you think she's outgrown this pleasure? Hardly! Now it's all J.Crew and J.Peterman, Pedlars and Toast cramming the mailbox, being read before they're even in the door.

If you, too, fling aside the colourless bits of paper mail in favour of the delights within a catalog, you and Olive are going to get along just fine.

It's mail-order catalog time at Olive Writes.

Image: Rodney Smith

The J. Peterman Company

2009-11-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

So much more than a Seinfeld reference, The J. Peterman Company's "Owner's Manual" catalogs express what we've all felt about an object, a piece of clothing at one time or another. With gentle illustrations, it's really the words that sell Mr. Peterman's goods. One minute you are that gamine girl who goes to Paris in that jacket, you can live an Out of Africa fantasy with those boots. Never trying to be up-to-date fashionable, these catalogs are exotic fantasties brought to life through "uncommonly good stuff." To see why Olive is swept away by the dear J. Peterman, enjoy her three favourite items and the words of the man himself.

Sabrina High Button Jacket

"When Sabrina was in France going to cooking school and soaking up some savoir-faire, one of her many mentors took her to an exclusive shop and bought this jacket for her.

(The part of the movie you didn't see.)"

Pleat Front Pant

"Charles de Gaulle Airport. The usual madhouse. I was waiting in line to check my luggage, wondering, as I usually do, if I will ever see it again. When I saw a most graceful pair of pants darting past me....I would imagine these would look good standing still."

20's Feathered Headband

"This item is handmade, as you might suppose. It's from a company making hats and accessories since the beginning of the 20th century. Well-known for high style and workmanship. Italian, of course. One picture, as they say, is worth…

You're not the life of the party. You are the party."

Say hello to... November

2009-11-02T14:08:00.000-08:00

If October is all burnished golds and cranberry reds, woolen sweaters and the crunch and slip of leaves, November is a cooler, more brittle cousin. The blue frost scratches at your window, the vacant trees stand etched against a low and graying sky. Beautiful, but a distant, less accessible beauty, Olive says. The White Witch of the cooler season, if you will allow. Olive thinks the following is in order to crack November's regal, albeit icy allure...

Old-fashioned mail order catalogs; Cordial drinks and the best spots to drink them; Quick- as- a- flash gifts to create...

What think you of the coming month now? Olive thinks November may turn out to be much better than expected!

Halloween at Olive's

2009-11-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

Did you enjoy it? The full moon, the crisp Autumn air and the general air of glee? Olive did! She had a truly festive Halloween. Take a peek inside her fun and then tell her about yours!

Monsieur James Bond, clad in the requisite tux,
lights candles with silhouettes outlined behind him.

Trails of cheesecloth hang above candles in Olive's now flowerless window boxes.

Creepy! Sad ghosts hang limply on this still, windless night.

And finally, our pumpkins light the way up the stairs for
the trick o' treaters.

The Witches Gathered

2009-10-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

In the best tradition of Morticia Addams and Samantha Stevens, Olive hosted a Halloween tea party yesterday! With plenty of cobwebs, torn drapery and apothecary nightmares, not to mention some truly terrifying treats, we think all the witches went home happy. And we hope you enjoy these pictures.

The Table is Set

A Bit of Brainy Decorating

Our friendly "pet" crow perches on a gilded mirror amongst cobwebs,
surveying the treats below.

Perhaps it's time to replace the curtains.

Let Them Eat...Halloween Cake!

2009-10-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

With the twelve pumpkins she has to carve, the witches skirt to be made and the cupcakes to ice, Olive is thrilled to have a someone else do the blogging today, especially when it is Modern Marie! We love this modern-day Marie Antoniette's charming way of making everyday as "entertaining as possible." And how appropriate that she write today about cakes! While Olive tries to craft together a broomstick, let your taste-buds be tempted by her devilish baked delights.

I love Halloween and for the whole month of October on my blog, I make it quite obvious. I love carving pumpkins, dressing up, all the decorations, candy corn, and all the fun and freaky desserts that go along with it! Here are top 3 favorite Halloween inspired desserts that I have made:

The Spider Cake

I was inspired by the Rodarte FW08 collection. I love the vivid colors of red, black and white. Its chic and creepy. To make the spider webs, I melted chocolate, put it in a Ziploc back, snipped off the end and made spider webs onto wax paper. Before they dried, I sprinkled big clear crystals on them.

Breathe Me!

This cake was made after my spring dance concert in high school a few years ago when one of the songs was "Breathe Me" by Sia. I made this cake for the after party - because our dance to that song was VERY creepy - in an artsy kinda way. It’s disgusting yet sort of delicious looking at the same time. It could definitely attract flies. All you need to do is pour icing over cake and throw on come creepy crawler things and Oreo “dirt” and you’re good to go.

Pecan Pie Cake

For those who are too sophisticated for Halloween (you’re never too old!) and would rather just have a “fall themed” dessert, I suggest this delicious and festive cake. The recipe and instructions on how to make it can be found here.

The Ladies of Halloween

2009-10-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

Have you enjoyed the lovely ladies who have been adding lots of vintage charm to Halloween at Olive Writes? You can see more of their spooky glamour here.

And now Olive is off to find a Betty Grable costume! Can you buy those legs?

Genuine Ghosts..

2009-10-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

While researching today's post, Olive made the mistake of curling up by herself. On a rainy, dark night. Before bed. It has taken her five days to get up the courage to finish writing, which she has done through half-shut eyes, desperately trying not to look at the images!

So be warned! Should you care to believe, these spirits are of the genuine variety. Olive suggests you turn on all your lights and invite others near before you view...

Woman in a Graveyard

Taken at Bachelor's Grove Cemetery (so appropriate), this image shows a woman with suspiciously transparent legs and some rather outdated clothes.

The Hampton Court Ghost

Poor Jane Seymour. The third wife of King Henry VIII died in childbirth at Hampton Court, England and is said to haunt its "cobbled courtyards, carrying a candle."

The Brown Lady

This poor spirit, a Lady Townsend of Norfolk Hall, England, was supposedly locked up by her jealous husband after he suspected her of being unfaithful. The wretch even had the nerve to fake her death and funeral! Now she haunts Raynham Hall in all her unearthly glory.

Need more thrills? There are lots of spine-chilling snaps here. Olive has looked at them all, much to her regret.

Click each image for attribute.

It's Creeping Closer

2009-10-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
- Macbeth

The witch's are afoot; All Hallow's Eve is drawing nigh!
And so this week we look forward to:
Genuine spooks..... Costumes to dazzle, fright and horror... A very special guest and her favourite Halloween treats...

Drop by and say 'boo'!

Image: The Retroist

To Do: Halloween Decorating

2009-10-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Put the duster down! This is the weekend when you need those cobwebs! Some leaves blown across the sidewalk won't hurt either. And if you want to help nature with the Halloween decorating, try...

Gholishly Gangly Silhouettes
(Olive traced the templates onto black cardboard, snipped, and taped -
so much easier, Martha dear),

Great Aunt Francis' Old Lace Curtains, Revised.
(cheesecloth, black tea, spray bottle, tear, done).

What Cabbage Should Only Be Used For
(cabbage + green food colouring = the heart of a Victorian apothecary)

All images from Martha Stewart, but don't let that scare you; Olive managed to mangle through and create them all. Indulge in more Haunted House Party perfection here.

Be Wary...

2009-10-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

Olive does not want to scare you, but there are so many things to worry about on October 31st! Ghosts around the corner, witches in the air, a demon in the closet and werewolves at your hair!
We advise you to take these precautions...

Ghosts don't cast a shadow and leave no footprints on the ground
But throw a key at its heart and it will ne'er be found.

Did the key miss it's mark?
Look out! That candle flaming blue means a ghosty is about!

If pale, cool skin and reddish eyes are not your cup of tea,
wear garlic 'round your neck and, please, leave my Edward be!

And should a furry, growling wolf cross your path at night
Be warned! Only a bullet, silver hued, will snuff its haunted life.

Warnings found here.  Click each image for attribute.

Pass the Popcorn

2009-10-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

Olive does not want to be pecked by The Birds, haunted by an Alien, or out-psyched by a Psycho. She desires an entirely gentler kind of scare. Yes, something with a bite of boo, but not enough to keep her out of the shower the next morning. If you want the same kind of post-treating fare, try these classics...

Don Knotts is at his rubbery, bumbling best in this sweetly Technicolor tale of a most-eerie mansion, still in good use in Desperate Housewives.

The most dapper of haunted pictures, Arsenic and Old Lace makes you look twice at that sweet old lady down the street... and at Cary Grant! The zany dialogue and the frenetic pace of its leads makes it watchable anytime of the year, too.

Now here's a ghost you hope will waft past you! Rex Harrison is a salty sea captain who turns up to lovingly haunt Gene Tierney's beautiful young widow. Palpable chemistry between the leads is all the suspense you need to keep watching.

Boo!

2009-10-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Halloween is the most forgiving of the holidays, isn't it? You need not obsess over gifts; if your outfit is a little torn, a little scandalous, even downright hideous, no one will raise an eyebrow; even the house can be left a little dusty! This is Olive's kind of holiday. Such a day deserves a week of hallowed devotion. And so, let the ghosts and ghouls emerge! For darling's, it's Halloween week at Olive Writes.

At last, we launch.

2009-10-09T10:40:00.001-07:00

Regular Readers & Various Visitors:

After a summer hiatus, Olive Writes has at last launched officially! What can you look forward to? Try...

Objects that stir and awaken inner lives... Field trips... Delights only the darker months can offer... But mostly... charm, beauty, taste and exquisiteness.

Should this be to your liking, hop aboard!

PS. This week... We haunt for hair-raising Halloween thrills!

Soon now...

2009-10-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

... The gate will open and so will we.

Source: Rodney Smith

Towel Off

2009-07-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

When drying off from a quick dip, Olive demands only the best towel. It needs to be plush and cottony, but big enough to drape 'round you or spread down on the sand if you're feeling a bit low in vitamin D and need to catch some rays. Maybe something like this?

Scheuer Lines - described as the " heaviest, plushest beach towel we have found."

However, if she wanted to deviate from the nautical stripes, Olive could bring herself to towel off with this one created by artist Julian Schnabel.

Every year Art Basel Miami features towels designed by prominent artists, of which that has to be our favourite. See for yourself and decide which one you could use to dust of your sandy toes.

Bathing Belles

2009-06-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

So you head down to the beach, nicely outfitted in a broad brimmed hand, a sweet bathing suit, and a good dollop of sunscreen. You look nice - practical, but with shades of Esther Williams. And then She appears: the skimpy, skinny, overly tanned, jiggling beach bunny. It's just the indecency of it that bothers Olive, not any faint jealousy about how someone can be that toned.

If you want to return to a beach season when you weren't visually assaulted, take a peek at this collection of "bathing belles" from the late 19th century to the 1930s, including actresses like Clara Bow and Carole Lombard. Some of Olive's favourites:

Awaiting a Change of Weather

2009-06-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

The towels are fluffy, the iced tea cooled. The umbrella is ready to be unfurled and toes are ready to squish through sand. But Olive's plan of a beach day has been foiled! Drat the rain pelting down her windows. Ah well, it just gives her more time to plan!

This week we browse the the best beach goods, beach games, and beach wear! Indeed, anything to do with sun, sea and sand.

All this week at Olive Writes.

Perfect Papers...

2009-06-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

Is it possible for a crisp sheet of parchment, embellished with a gently stylized design and classic, yet unpretentious type to inspire what you actually write? Olive thinks so. For example....

Leeming Brothers
(gloriously English fine stationers)

Dear Madam: We regret to inform you that your novella, Last Gasp in Almalfi, has been rejected for publication. While your style of writing is lively, we would encourage you to cut out the treacle for your next attempt.

BellaBlu Designs
(English bulldog personalized stationery)

Twigsy! Just a short note to say 'merci' for the fabulous weekend at The Grange! I think Bonzo and Maxy had a lovely time together, barring that unfortunate sniffing incident... Anyway, you will send me the recipe for your plum pudding, won't you?

2009-06-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

Or don't you like to write letters. I do because it's such a swell way to keep from working and yet feel you've done something.
~Ernest Hemingway

I couldn't agree more, Mr. Hemingway! I think we should take his advice... peep over your desk. Is anyone looking? No? Lovely! Start writing, and don't feel even a little bit guilty.

Write with Me

2009-06-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

Sit at your desk. Good. Now write!

Ah were it only that easy. Before anything readable can even start to emerge on your blank page, you need something especially pleasing to write with! Olive suggests the following:

1940s Royal Quiet De Luxe Typewriter
from etsy's Poetic Home.
(you have to read their description of this typewriter - your finger will inch toward the 'add to cart' button with every word)

Somehow this darling little machine, with it's dusky salmon case brings to mind writing illicit love letters at the Ritz, champagne casually in hand. Not for you the rush of rhapsodic verse a fountain pen brings about. No, your letter would be off-hand, yet tastefully suggestive... just like yourself.

Montblanc
Greta Garbo Fountain Pen

This is the kind of pen, I'm almost sorry to say, that would inspire the "I'm yours, and yours only" sort of note. You grab it during your lunch hour and furiously untwist cap, heedless of the ink that has just splattered your sweet new blouse. Really, this sort of unbridled writing can't end well, for you or your wardrobe.

Classic HB Pencil

Surely there is some implement that won't induce hysterical missives. We need a practical, straightforward, in-control sort of writing device... Oh yes, the HB. Now here's a pencil that allows you to really get somewhere in life. What courses to take at your choice of Ivy League college? Crisply written and done. Charitable function written in your diary? Duly noted.

This week... We write!

2009-06-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

A little ironic, isn't it? This whole week is going to be devoted to the art of writing - and Olive means the old-fashioned kind - through the medium of the computer! As much as we love to Facebook, Tweet, and tap out a quick email, it's time to turn to something a little slower, a little more tactile. Join Olive as she reacquaints herself with...

Typewriter keys and scratchy pencils, thick parchment and the most delicate of stationery, and those places of fantasy where you just know you could really write.

All this week, only at OliveWrites.

This Weekend...

2009-06-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

Please, please don't do laundry, wash dishes or dust! Save that for the last two hours of Sunday night. For now, try....

Bike Riding.
Good for the head, especially on long, coast-worthy hills.

Baking Mango & Rhubarb Crumble.
Good for the soul and stomach when
baked quietly and eaten slowly.

Read a Child's Novel.
Good for an adult mind that needs clarifying.

Olive apologizes if you have to wear your least-favorite outfit on Monday, but really, didn't you have more fun?

Click each picture for sources and information.

Word to Travel By

2009-03-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

This week, as Olive sails the seven seas, we focus on words to do with travel. Don't just holiday in Brighton or vacation in Italy, run away with these noteworthy words.

*Sojourn: a temporary stay.. as in:
After a quick crossing, we sojourned in Capri for a few blissful days.

*Peregrinate (verb): to travel or journey, esp. to walk on foot...as in:
We peregrinated along the dusty path, hoping for a mule to come our way.

Come Away...

2009-03-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday Morning!

What, you are still in a post-weekend fog? Don't feel like facing real life yet? Well then, come along with Olive on a little morning jaunt...

The Mediterranean... About 9am. Awoken by the lapping of fishing boats outside your window, you decide to throw off the muddled sheets of the night and go for a swim. Breakfast won't be served for forty-five anyway.

A quick change, a big towel. And don't forget the swimming cap. Sleeping on all those sponge rollers last night will be for naught if they're soaked with sea water.

Oh that was lovely! Warm, but refreshing enough to brighten up for the day. It's time for a quick scrub up. The sand slides from your toes as you hungrily imagine your meal ahead. Toast with honey and feta and then your favorite: plump figs. Coffee to finish.

Hurry and dry off! That all sounds too delicious to wait any longer.
Best to wear that little sundress with the yellow flowers; it feels hot already.

Yikes! Where is the aforementioned frock? It's that silly son of Alexander, one of the fishermen. That's three mornings in a row he's run off with your outfit. At least he always returns it after lunch. Oh well, just wrap that large bath sheet around you and hope that gentleman who arrived last night isn't up yet...

Images from Toast

Cherry Blossoms Part 2.

2009-03-25T11:50:00.001-07:00

One post was not enough. Olive just had to share this video from Brooklyn Botanic Garden, chronicling the garden's famed Cherry Walk. Watch as the blooms emerge, although equally enchanting is the dappling of the shade across the walk.

2008 Cherry Blossom Time-lapse at Brooklyn Botanic Garden from Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Vimeo.

That is just so...

2009-03-23T19:58:00.001-07:00

Situation: you're out doing a bit of shopping with some friends when one of them picks up a bright pink polyester blouse, thrusts it under your chin and exclaims that the colour brings out your eyes.
Yikes. How to explain you might consider it if it only wasn't so... tawdry. Yes! That's the word.

Tawdry (taw-dree):

–adjective

1.	(of finery, trappings, etc.) gaudy; showy and cheap.

2.	low or mean; base: tawdry motives.

–noun

3.	cheap, gaudy apparel.

"In the cherry blossom's shade there's no such thing as a stranger" - Issa

2009-03-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

When Olive was but a wee thing, her mom took a moment from anxiously looking down at her new baby and gazed out her maternity room window at a huge flowering cherry tree in full bloom.

Maybe it's this sweet memory, but Olive adores cherry blossoms! So transient and delicate, they soften the landscape and blanket the ground in a puffy spray of blooms. And so, the minute you see a peep of colour, Olive suggests the following:

Trim some smaller branches and pop them in a vase. Choose ones that aren't perfect; crooks and bends create graphic charm. For the vase, something ceramic and hefty but plainly decorated nicely compliments the delicacy of the blooms.

Ah, so the only blossoms available in your neighbourhood are in the public park. Barring a late night run with some shears (Olive does not recommend), we suggest your camera instead. Snap close up bunches of blooms and enjoy them as a desktop background or blow them up for a thoroughly unique bit of art. Few flowers are as pretty and modern.

Be thoroughly romantic and drag someone kissable off for a picnic under the blushing canopy and onto the prettiest bed imaginable. Spread good thick blankets and drink warm lavender infused milk. It's still early spring, but revel in the life the blossoms promise.

Check back during the height of cherry blossoms season (beginning around the end of March) to how Olive celebrates their arrival!

2009-03-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Vernal Equinox!
Spring has arrived.

Easter Excitement

2009-03-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Olive is particularly fond of Easter. Not only does it (usually) fall close to her birthday, but it's such a pretty holiday in its modern pastel bunny-ish form. Finally there is a break from the heaviness of winter; light and sweet colour have returned! And so, to gear things up towards April 12, we offer three Easter themed bits of loveliness.

First, why not...

Send out these cards from Etsy's DandyLionPress, inviting your very best friends to enjoy a party of carrot cake, chocolate, and hot cross buns.

Then...

Create one of Martha Stewart's more doable crafts, eggshell votives. Make yourself a nice cheesy omelet for breakfast, but make sure to crack gently! Fill up the clean shells with your own wax and wicks (as Martha advises) or poke in little tea lights.

And finally...

Send your guests off with the gift of a dozen fuzzy chicks! Not to worry, though; no coop is required. Instead, your donation to Oxfam will provide HIV/Aids affected families with real renewal in the form of income and nutrition.

Bake for St. Patrick

2009-03-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

Olive celebrated her Irish heritage (did you know she's a natural red head?) early last week, baking a loaf of Irish soda bread, slathering it in butter and jam and downing all with the largest and hottest cup of tea she could make. She encourages you to revel in a little mid-week fun by celebrating St. Patrick's day by doing the same.

The American version is rather far from the original, being more scone like than the original hearty bread version. If you need something to go with a bowl of warm soup, go with the classic, but if you want a little more sweetness try the updated one.

Irish: for when you need a bit of peasant squareness.

American- Irish: sweeter and scone-like with the delicious addition of raisins.

Don't think you can inveigle me into that, Mister!

2009-03-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

You have been inveigled. You have probably inveigled someone into something.

Don't protest. Rather, read on:

–verb (in-vey-guhl, -vee-)

1.	to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk or inducements (usually fol. by into): to inveigle a person into playing bridge.

2.	to acquire, win, or obtain by beguiling talk or methods (usually fol. by from or away): to inveigle a theater pass from a person.

Ah, all is quiet now. The mind reels at the thought of all that inveigling...

Definition from dictionary.com.

Poladroid

2009-03-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

When Olive downloads something for her, admittedly, cute computer, she doesn't think of it as fun. Functional, certainly, but lacking a certain creative wonderment that fulfills. Not so with the Polaroid inspired download "Poladroid." Now here is something to tap your keyboard about!

With the simplest process possible, you can take your stark digital images and transform them into retro-cool snaps. Watch as your photos come to gently, like the Polaroids of old did, from dark to their gently softened end. Take a peek at these examples for inspiration.

Spring Shopping: Seeds

2009-03-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

What to do when you find that darling pair of new spring shoes, only to turn them over and quake at the price staring back at you? Can you break your carefully planned budget in the interests of beautifully shod feet? Don't. Put them back. Then walk out the door towards a far less expensive, but just as invigorating spring ritual: seed shopping.

If you're in need of something to perk you up from the gloom and mess of winter, seeds are Olive's suggestion. First of all, the colours of those little paper packets! A little puff of pink here, a breathe of blue there. And they are deceptively easy to tend. A pot, some soil, a bit of water, all aided by the long-hoped for sun and soon you'll have a garden no matter how small your plot.

Yet, the best part comes later. By the time those shoes would have been scuffed and hated for the way they pinch your third toe, little babies of green will be bursting forth from the soil. Leave them where they are, or give them a quick snip and freshen up the house with cut flowers (think of the savings!); either way they are a guaranteed long term investment.

A little morsel of...blandishment

2008-11-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

Do you want to know what I find soothing these days? Words, perfectly appropriate words! How bland it is to say "I'm fine" or "she seems sad." Are we ever just fine or sad? Very rarely. That's why I find learning a word so enjoyable. There it lies in my head in all it's nuanced glory, waiting to be used. And then the perfect situation arises to draw out the few letters, to savor their specificity.

This is why I am inaugurating Word of the Week! One little word each week to be used, cherished, and practiced. Save them up yourself, and watch for them in future posts!

Today's word is: Blandishment (noun)

flattery intended to persuade
the act of urging by means of teasing or flattery

Send me the best sentences you can using this word!

Let's Go...Skating!

2008-11-20T20:01:00.001-08:00

Last Christmas I was given a wonderfully retro gift: figure skates! White and pristine, they are so Sonja Henie-like as to make a double salchow entirely possible. And if not that, at least their glowing blades, shining from the back of the closet, are a guilty reminder to go out and enjoy winter sports.
With the holiday season approaching, why not consider giving gifts that will last and bring continual joy (and a touch of ankle pain) to the recipient? Yes, it's easy to pick up another Starbucks basket. But does it bring flushed cheeks, warm hands holding yours and a cup of well earned cocoa at the end? No no, says Sonja.

Rain, Come Again

2008-11-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

“The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.”

-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

If you're caught outside in it, your umbrella flapping wildly, your pant legs soggy, you likely won't love rain so much as I did today. The wind beat a steady wallop of the wet stuff against the windows, thrashing the branches of the barren trees, and making me thankful for my warm cup of tea and dry feet.

This is the time to draw in, to find the softest corner of your favourite chair, and hug your Darjeeling while the world clashes around outside. It is the best of excuses to close the door on the world, even for a little while.

Lumen Luminaries

2008-11-14T15:41:00.000-08:00

Friday's are one of my favourite days at Olive Writes. Why? Because I get to window shop online! Every Friday we feature one unique, perhaps handmade, thoroughly fabulous item. And so, to today's.

From Pedlar's, one of my all time best-loved online and catalogue shops, comes the "Lumen."
As you can see from the wonderfully moody photo, it's "an acid-etched, stainless steel oil lamp that projects shadows." But not just the quivering shadows of a regular candle; rather, a tree, and one with birds, too!

The minute mine arrives I am turning off all the lights, unplugging the TV, lying on a soft rug and watching the dancing trees on my living room wall.

A Happy Return

2008-11-13T20:17:00.001-08:00

Surely you've experienced this: you return to a childhood haunt, read a favourite book from grade four, watch a classic movie, and none measure up to how you remember them. That primeval tree in the park, rising so high above you - how did it come to shrink with the years? Or that movie with all the witty one-liners? Seems pretty silly now. How reassuring then when a return is better than the original journey!

Such was the case when I re-read Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth. With fond memories of being read it after lunch by my grade six teacher, I was anxious to see how it held up. Fortunately, it has lots to offer the adult reader. Yes, there is a grand adventure through The Lands Beyond, but there is also clever wordplay that enlivens Juster's themes of education and knowledge.

So, if you're tired of serious and bleak adult literature, perhaps its time for a return to a place that is just as wonderful as you remembered it.

A Time of Renewal

2008-10-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

Spring may be the traditional season of rebirth, but at here at Olive Writes, autumn is the perfect time for a fresh start. After a hiatus of a few months, we are back! This season, look for sparkling new features, as well as the same cozy posts you have come to expect.

Welcome home!

BookCrossing

2008-04-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

Whenever I think of the film Amelie, I am immediately reminded of the little garden gnome that packed up his packs and traveled 'round the world (a phenomenon in existence prior to the said movie making it famous). If you loved the liberation of the homely gnome, you will be very charmed by the setting free of your favourite books. As the explaination at bookcrossing.com says:
... you can register any book you have on the site, and then set the book free to travel the world and find new readers.

Leave it on a park bench, at a coffee shop, at a hotel on vacation. Share it with a friend or tuck it onto a bookshelf at the gym -- anywhere it might find a new reader! What happens next is up to fate, and we never know where our books might travel next. Track the book's journey around the world as it is passed on from person to person.

I just love this idea; it combines the fun of seeing where physical objects travel to (as in WheresGeorge.com), with the satisfaction of sharing a new book.

Now all I must do is decide what book to pack up and send out into the world... What would you choose?

Art via ARC

2008-03-07T20:43:00.001-08:00

While perusing artrenewal.org, (a website I recommend, not only for its vast number of art works, but also for its mildly controversial mission statement), I came across "French Orientalist painter, draftsman & sculptor" Jean-Léon Gérôme.

As a student of art history, I sometimes wonder how many artists I am missing out on by reading only the required texts. If it's not on the syllabus, is it actually good? Mission statement number six of said website wishes to "repudiate the idea that development in art requires destruction of boundaries and standards." I'm not sure I completely agree; surely "development" means moving beyond what has come before. Yet, I do think that in scholar's and/or professor's eagerness to show such progression, skilled and appreciable art is left in the storeroom. (Although perhaps their job is to create a framework from which the student can branch off from). Which leads me back to my branch: Jean-Léon Gérôme.

I am rather taken by his use of colour. Look at Arabs Crossing the Desert: don't you think, even though dust coats the background, that its colour is refreshing and very nearly cool? The exotic old-fashioned Far Eastern mystery of it is also romantically appealing to me.

Even if you just want something other than a beach scene on your desktop, browse through artrenewal.org. Your professor will be proud.

Links:
Art Renewal Center (ARC): artrenewal.org

Shakespeare in your inbox

2008-02-02T21:07:00.000-08:00

There are days when no one but Shakespeare will do if you need a dose of what language can truly rise to. If you're having one of those days, or if you'd like the Bard rather than the Spam to fill your inbox, why not sign up for Bantam Shakespeare Quote-of-the Week. As the title suggests, each week Bantam sends an email through filled with a short Shakespearian quote (with footnotes), as well as a little information about the play it's taken from.

So far this week I've come back to reading this slice of Antony & Cleopatra many times. For your enjoyment...

Nay, pray you, seek no color for your going,
But bid farewell and go. When you sued staying,
Then was the time for words. No going then.
Eternity was in our lips and eyes,
Bliss in our brows' bent.
—Cleopatra 1.3.32-36

Bantam Shakespeare Quote-of-the-Week

A Winter Walk

2007-12-17T22:49:00.000-08:00

A Happy New Year to all my readers! What are your resolutions? Mine includes writing more entries for this blog!

For most of us, the holidays and the flurry of activity that accompanies them has ended. We are left with our presents, too much shortbread, and hopefully, memorable moments to be stored away and thought of throughout the year.

Now is the time for cleansing. I awoke this morning with a pressing need to tear my bedroom closet apart and rid myself of the excess stuff that had begun to possess the possessor. Sadly, even after I had finished that task I had only to peek my head into the upstairs hall to see more of the same. I think it is time for a break.

Don those mittens and join me for a winter stroll. To my mind there are few seasons that offer so much natural beauty and satisfaction as winter. What, you implore? Winter, the season of bleakness and chills, worthy only to be viewed from behind a pane of glass. True, possibly. But what of these sights:

The wonder of a line of trees,
laid bare against winter's snowy
whiteness.

The hardiness of even the
smallest creatures against
the season's severity.

And, finally, the echoing stillness
only new fallen snow can create.

Yes, perhaps your nose will be red and your toes numb, but aren't these sights worth it?

A Nice Cup of Tea

2007-11-15T19:15:00.001-08:00

Here I am, writing a blog about "all things soothing and comforting" and I have yet to write about tea, the true essence of this phrase. I was raised on the stuff as some children are raised on milk or orange juice, encouraged to let the water come to a full "rolling boil" and, no matter the hurry, to let it steep well.

I therefore thought it would be appropriate to do a little Internet exploring about my beverage of choice. Perhaps I could discover the best teas of the world and pass them (or rather, their names, but how I would love to pass a cup!) on to my readers. Yet, in the process, I came across a very practical essay published by George Orwell, not a writer I generally associate with comfort, in 1946. Here were all my musings on tea summed up for me!

So, if you have a few minutes, brew yourself a good strong pot of Earl Grey, and read Orwell's instructions on how to make it even better.

A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell

Mittens

2007-11-06T22:03:00.000-08:00

My fingers are numb and red; I am making little fists and blowing warmth into them. Did I forget to wear gloves when I went out for my nightly constitutional? Not a bit of it. I was properly bundled up in a fuzzy pair. Why the cold then? Well, I've come to the conclusion that gloves simply do not cut it. Yes, they show off long elegant fingers, but do they encase them in a lovely little heat pocket? Not in my experience. They are like those socks that have a pocket for each toe. Wholly unsatisfying, for, not only do they make your feet look startlingly ape-like, but each little piggy is shivering for his sibling to be curled up next to him. So it is with fingers.

With that little tirade over, I have decided to devote this winter to the mitten. Push thoughts of kindergarten students out of your mind, their mittens sewn together by anxious parents. My mittens will be warm, but delicate, woolly, but soft. True, I won't be wearing them to the opera, but for the rest of the season, they will do perfectly. Here are my favorite finds:

1. The Romantic: One of my favorite mail order companies, Pedlars, is offering "Glovers" this season. Essentially, it's a mitten-like sack for couples to hold hands in...Perhaps a picture will make it clearer. Practical, although I do wonder how idiotic I would feel wearing one.

2. The Classic: A no nonsense basic mitten in a traditional cable knit
pattern from Etsy, a favourite site featuring tons of independent artists and crafters. I especially like the rolled cuff, which apparently keeps
cold winds out.

3. The Non-Mitten: Granted, this isn't a mitten, but isn't it tempting! I've wanted one for years. The "Peacock Pocket Warmer" is a mini furnace for your hand. And, it's so very "Q."

Armed with this arsenal of finger defense, it's sure to be a warmer winter, but what to do about my head...

Today's Links:

Scientific proof that mittens are warmer than gloves: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glove
Glovers: http://www.pedlars.co.uk/
Classic Mittens: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7434818
Peacock Pocket Warmers: http://www.hakkin.co.jp/

To Begin with a Book

2007-11-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

I shall start with a large 'hello' to my readers, who must all be new, as this is my first posting! Thank you for taking the time to share with me anything that I find soothing, pleasing, delightful or comfortable. Essentially, anything to dull the rough edges that life sometimes has to offer! I hope to see you often, and, hopefully to hear from you!

Enough of introductions, however; let me get right to the meat of today's post.

With the weather drippy one moment and Christmas-y the next (think low clouds that oddly seem brighter at night), I've been in the mood for cozy reads. I craze nothing unsettlingly physiological, mind wrenching or altogether modern. Rather, give me words that drop me into a scene filled with fires, dogs, gentle people...Yes, the cliche that is coming to your mind is what I'm after.

I therefore recommend to you The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley. This charming tale reunites us with the characters of Morley's Parnassus on Wheels, particularly bookseller Roger Mifflin. In Morley's second outing, he plants Mifflin in a Brooklyn bookstore, allowing his main character to expound about books and book selling. There is also an easy mystery, a little romance, and lots of coziness.

I have yet to read Parnassus on Wheels; hopefully it proves as enjoyable as The Haunted Bookshop.

Here are some helpful links, should you wish to explore the Parnassus world a little further. (Morley himself seems like quite an interesting fellow; he was a Sherlock Holmes enthusiast, as well as the author of Kitty Foyle).

Free ebook (!): http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/172

Christopher Morley: http://www.online-literature.com/morley/