- Jessica Kerwin Jenkins, Encyclopedia of the Exquisite

In the Introduction of the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite, Jessica Kerwin Jenkins calls her book an “ode to life’s many luxuries that don’t require much spending.” Inspired by a file kept on her desk filled with scraps which she titled ‘Why I Like It Here,’ ‘here’ being Earth, Jenkin’s book is a delightful collection of tidbits and anecdotes of the origins and evolutions of its subjects. Covering anything that peaked her interest from the history of Champagne to giant elephant shaped buildings to the royal origins of a pear, Jenkins makes each one magical and exotic. The Encyclopedia of the Exquisite is a collection of curiosities – a veritable treasure box filled with the whims and tasteful objects collected by the author whose own taste led her to a career as an editor for WWD, W in Europe, and now places her as a contributor to Vogue.

Jenkins said her editor, Nan Talese, insisted that the book’s design live up to it’s title. The result is just over 300 pages of beautiful details. The book is, indeed, exquisite. It’s beautifully illustrated and the pages are a reminder why some books should always be experienced in physical form; reading this book in digital form would be a sin.

A beautiful edition to any bookshelf or coffee table and an absolute treat to read, the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite makes a splendid and affordable gift. Pick up a few for your holiday gifts and, of course, one for yourself.

Coralie Bickford Smith strikes again, leaving me dumbstruck and utterly in lust. I’ve sincerely been rendered desperate for these. I’m an absolute fool for Fitzgerald, so imagine my condition in seeing him wrapped up in metallic, deco perfection. {My eternal gratitude to anyone who can point me to a retailer who will sell these to me.}

UPDATE:

I have found that the books are available for pre-order through Waterstones, so I’ve listed the link and ISBN to each one below. It is my experience that the books become available in Canada for a much better price than the US or UK after being released through Waterstones. You can also type in the ISBN on Amazon and select to be e-mailed as soon as the books become available.

Tender is the Night – 9780141194066

The Great Gatsby – 9780141194059

Flappers & Philosophers - 9780141194103

This Side of Paradise – 9780141194097

The Last Tycoon – 9780141194080

The Beautiful and the Damned – 9780141194073

Queen of Your Own Life landed in my mailbox a few weeks back. Within a few pages of the book, I could tell that I’m not the book’s target market. While the lessons in the book can be applied to any woman’s life,  the book is intended for women past their 40′s. I thought that perhaps the publisher had made a mistake in sending me the book or that I had missed something in the description when I first accepted to be sent a review copy. What to do?

Curious bookworm that I am, I went ahead and kept thumbing through the book. The book is filled with the authors’ honest accounts of the same insecurities of the women around me who’ve reached or passed midlife. These are the same woes that I so often wish didn’t affect my mother, sisters, and older friends. These inner demons and horrible outside forces that cause the fabulous women in our life to doubt themselves and feel insignificant are called out and dealt with. All neatly and simply laid out in Queen of Your Own Life.

It’s the perfect book to gift to a woman you adore. If you’ve ever wanted to tell your mom how fabulous she is and that her doubts about herself have no truth, give her this book.

Mother’s Day is this weekend, and with it comes a chance to show the women we love so much that we think they’re queens. Take the chance.

I’m looking for your favorite local bookshops. I’d like to begin compiling a list. I especially love rare book sellers. I have nothing against big bookstores like b&n, as they do serve their purpose. However, there is nothing like a bookshop that is based on the personality and eccentricities of its owner. It’s a lifestyle, beyond a passion, for these bookshop owners and clerks. It reminds me of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: Sometimes, you walk into a bookstore and find three books you didn’t know you wanted.

Please list your favorite shops, no matter where in the world they are located, in the comments.
source unknown {hints welcome!}

from b&n

A warm thank you to {Bits of Beauty} sponsor:

A few weeks back, I was sent a copy of The Overnight Socialite for review. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. You might be surprised by this, but I don’t read chick-lit that often. The book was pitched as a retelling of Pygmalion and, perhaps more familiar to you, My Fair Lady.

Chick-lit and Pygmalion? Together?

Really?

Skeptical me. Well, I’m happy to say that I liked the book. I’ve been sent some books that I disliked, even some that I disliked so much that I felt the need to give a not so stellar review instead of none at all. I hate doing that, but I must. So, I’m happy that my skepticism washed away when I opened up The Overnight Socialite. It was witty, fun, and not overdone. I feel like that genre has a ton of books that try to hard. This isn’t one of them. Bride Clark, the author, did a great job of making sure that the book had balance and a good flow. I read it straight through {which is always a good sign.}

You can read my review over at the Little Pink Book for more info. If you read the book, let me know what you think!

Officially the coolest macbook case ever. This could be the bookworm in me, but it really is fabulous. Substantial protection and when is a book not in style? You can get it for $79.99 via here.

book·worm –noun
a person devoted to reading or studying.

{Book City Jackets Covers $15}

*Code BCJ2009 for free shipping on order of two sets or more and $5 off orders of $50 or more

{Penguin Classics $13 each}

{In the Library fragrance $60}

** Use codes “instyle10″ to get 20% off the entire order and “hohoho” for free overnight shipping on orders of $250 to get your presents in time for Christmas!

{Red Batchel Bag $147}
** Use codes “instyle10″ to get 20% off the entire order and “hohoho” for free overnight shipping on orders of $250 to get your presents in time for Christmas!

{Kindle $259 or Nook, currently backordered, $259}
*Help reduce the bookworm’s clutter, so the truly beloved books will have more space.

Photo from previous post.

Want to win one?

Leave a comment telling us “What would be the name of your biography?”

Contest ends at midnight EST on December 20, 2009. Jeremy will pick his three favorite answers, and we will announce the winners in a post early next week. Bon Chance!

Cant wait to get your hands on a set? You can order them here. As a holiday special, you get free shipping if you buy at least two sets and $5 off any order of $50 or more. Use code BCJ2009.

Something {Audrey}:- I love Audrey Hepburn… like a lot. I have never owned a pair of sunglasses (after my first pair ever) that did not resemble the big, black ones Audrey Hepburn wore. I did ballet, I model part of my clothing style after her, I am obsessed with ‘Moonriver’ and I want my wedding dress to look like her ballgown from My Fair Lady. For me, Audrey Hepburn isn’t something to be like, or model yourself after, it’s a way of being, it’s a way of life. Period.

Something {Bookworm-esque}:- I love books. I love literature. I love to write. I love reading. I love Harry Potter. I wish Jane Austen were still alive so I could speak to her. I want to travel back in time to see a show at the Globe Theatre. The man I marry has to be a cross between North & South‘s Thornton and Pride & Prejudice‘s Darcy; perhaps with a tad of Severus Snape in there for good measure.

Something {Chocolat!}:- creamy, decadent and heaven in a mouthful. Spiced, melted, hot or liquored up — I love it.

Something {iDance}:- I love to dance. I think Isadora Duncan said it best, “The Dance – it is the rhythm of all that dies in order to live again; it is the eternal rising of the sun.”

Something {Girly, Pearly & Everything Nice}:- I’m a girly (with a mental masculine streak) and I act like one. I love my pearls that my mother gave me and my Laura Ashely bedroom set that hangs sweetly upon my real wood bedroom set that I’ve had since I was girl. There is something sacred about the traditional, the simple and the classic.

Something {Makeup Me Pretty}:- My first real job, ever, was with MAC Cosmetics as a makeup artist. I love makeup. I love wearing it, playing with it and putting it on other people. I love shopping for it, playing around with colours and testing out different textures. Vibrant pigments make my day; shimmering shadows make my life.

Something {Musical}:- There is something ethereal about listening to Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard illustrate the ‘Tears of the Sun.’ There is something intoxicating about ‘The Music of the Night.’ There is something alluring about Michael Buble’s ‘Feeling Good’. There is something sexy about ‘Ojos Asi.’ There is something regal and damn near perfect about Clarke’s trills in ‘Trumpet Voluntary,’ Pachabel’s polyphonic delays in ‘Canon in D’ and Sarah Brightman with Andrea Bocelli pouring their hearts out in ‘Time To Say Goodbye.’ Most of all, there is something human about harmonious notes written on paper and spoken to the world through lifeless instruments. I can’t live without music.

Something {Pinkalicious}:- I have a real Little Pink Book; in fact, I have two. My Petal Pink Vera Bradley wallet goes everywhere with me. My airplane pillow is pink. My favourite lipglass is from MAC and it’s a golden pink little number called Nymphette. I have a collection of Barbie Dolls from all over the world and my favourite doll ever is an original from 1989 called SuperStar Barbie. I had my fondest moments as a kid with her. Heck, when I joined my sorority, people told me it must have been fate because their colours were pink (rose) and white. Go figure.

Something {Sparkly}:- I have this strange obsession with bokeh. I don’t know why. I don’t own anything with glitter on it because I find items like that to be tacky and tasteless. I am not a fan of overtly sequined things that look like the 1980s vomited them back up again. I don’t care who is wearing it or how in style it is. I loathe sequined-glitter object. But there is something to be said about bokeh. In photography, as a stock image, as a texture for editing in Photoshop or Illustrator — even manipulating in Coral Painter. I {heart} bokeh.

Something {Teaful}:- I have a cuppa tea every afternoon. There isn’t much more to be said about it. My favourite brand of china is Spode and my favourite print is the (Blue) Willow. Not sure if it’s exciting or sad, when you go into Harrod’s looking for pieces for your mummy and you happen to know more about the China than the expert trying to sell you some. Like I said, at Harrod’s no less. At my house, we have the Christmas set too. I guess I am my mummy’s daughter.

Something {Tech Geeky Girl}:- I’m a geek girl. I admit this. I love Adobe Photoshop, I can’t live without it or my Wacom and I don’t want to know how life would be different without them. I am Twitter obsessed, I’ve been on Facebook since 2004. I own the geeky phone from Nokia known to man (currently) and yes, I even have the Spock 2009 Ken Doll from Mattel.