“It is never too late or too soon. It is when it is supposed to be.”

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I love Mitch Albom's books. They make you think about life in a different way and appreciate what you have. It's been a while since I read his other books, but this one may be my favorite.
The story is about Father Time; how he became Father Time; and how he must now help two people, one who wants more time in this world and one who wants less, learn to appreciate the time they have. It's an interesting commentary on the value of life and time. 

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"There is a reason God limits our days. . . . To make each one precious." 

“We all yearn for what we have lost. But sometimes, we forget what we have.” 

“When you are measuring life, you are not living it.” 

As a side note, I went to see "Nostalgia for the Light," a documentary comparing two groups of people who are searching for the past in Chile's Atacama Desert. Astronomers look heavenward to find answers to the origin of life and a group of women are sifting through the sand of the desert trying to find the remains of their loved ones that were killed and disposed of during the regime of the dictator Augusto Pinochet. 
The documentary brought up some interesting points concerning time and the delicate nature of it. One of the astronomers said that there is no such thing as the present, because by the time you hear what he is saying, time has already passed since he said it (I.Q. reference anyone?). It made me think about The Time Keeper and just how fluid and fragile time is. 
One of the astronomers, who was also the daughter of two of the political prisoners that disappeared, said that the reason she loved astronomy so much is because observing the vastness of the stars and galaxies helped her feel like maybe time and space went on forever, and it wasn't all over for her parents.
If only she understood the full truth about eternity and the plan of God. 

All of these things make me grateful for the knowledge I have about our eternal potential. Knowing that life goes on after this life, makes it a little easier both to appreciate the time we have here on earth and live it to the fullest, and to understand that this life is but a small moment in the span of eternity and the best is yet to come.

An Unlikely Meeting with Destiny

An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love the way the author wove together her story and Maurice's story, into a autobiography/biography. She was brutally honest about the effect of drugs on alcohol on both hers and Maurice's families. The way she described their experiences, especially the complete absence of so many normal, structured situations in Maurice's life and the terror inflicted on her life by her father's alcoholism, made me want to force anyone who has ever considered taking a drink or smoking a joint to read this book. At times this book made me sick. It was encouraging, however, to see what a big impact her small actions had on Maurice and how the things she taught him by example and casual conversation helped him to avoid falling into the vicious cycle that everyone he knew was slave to. And of course, all she learned from Maurice and the role he filled in her life even though many people criticized their relationship was very refreshing. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read about the power of humanity to overcome the failings of society.

A little book review about a little story about words

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


World War II is one of my favorite time periods to read about. Combine that with my love of books, words, and the power they possess, mix in a sensible little girl, a father who always knows what to say, and a best friend whose antics and triumphs remind me too much of my brothers, and I really enjoyed this book. It felt like a book I would have read in 4th grade, and had it been around I no doubt would have, but I still enjoyed it as a 21-year-old, despite the education in German swearing (I learned some words even my nephews hadn't taught me). It was cleverly crafted and nicely narrated, and it made some profound points about humans, words, and the nature of life and death.



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Live in Peace

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I just finished reading The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud. Unfortunately I watched the movie before I read the book, so I already knew the punchline. Despite this, I still enjoyed the book and it really got me thinking in a couple places. Charlie St. Cloud is the caretaker for the Waterside Cemetery. He prepares and cares for the graves of all the townspeople buried there. He also has a gift. He can see the spirits in the cemetery that hang around before moving on to the next level. He watches these spirits observing their own memorial services, and comments on their reactions to the false niceties that people tell when they can't think of anything genuinely good to say about the dead, or their happy surprise when they realize that people really loved them more or noticed them more than they thought in life. This got me thinking. If I were to observe my own memorial service, would my friends and loved ones have to make up nice things to say about me, or would their words about me be genuine? What do I do in life that the people I care about appreciate and notice? What would they have to say about me, and what lasting impression would they be left with when that's all they had of me? Also, why do we wait until people are gone to recognize and tout the things we love about them? I think we could all benefit from hearing good things about ourselves and sharing others' triumphs with them while we can still grow from the knowledge.
If nothing else, this book made me want to be more careful about the way I interact with other people not only so my memorial service will be a good one, but also so we can maybe help each other live this life a little more fully--so we can live in peace before we are laid to rest in peace.

The papercase binding

 

I expected this one to be my least favorite but I think it actually turned out to be the best one yet. The text block and gluing it into the case are very similar to the flatback, but I used a different stitching method, without linen tapes. It creates this beautiful weave.

 

Instead of using paper endbands, I sewed these ones by hand. They are one of those little details that make homemade books truly beautiful and one of my favorite steps in this book.

 

The case for this one uses a special kind of paper, either cave paper (about $16 online) or St. Armand's (about $9.50 a sheet). I used a nice butter colored St. Armand's and did not practice on a scratch paper like our teacher told us to. Go big or go home, that's what I always say. I didn't take any pictures of the process, but let's just say it takes a lot of very intricate and precise folds to create this cover.

 

This book turned out beautifully and I especially like it because each signature is one folded sheet of paper, and some of them are still sealed waiting to be ripped with a letter opener, which creates a deckled edge. This is a historical tactic left over from the days when books were so rare that no one could afford them and the booksellers would leave them sealed so the peasants couldn't read them in the shop. Of course this creates a problem in that it's hard to use a book that is sealed, and I'm thinking of using it as a sort of scrapbook for ticket stubs and such from my extensive travels. I think I'll just have to open most signatures and leave at least one sealed for history's sake.

I love the way it turned out with the matching endbands and ribbon tie and the beautiful paper cover.

Book Number Two

I love bookbinding! Seriously, this class is keeping me sane. When I just can't handle my other homework anymore, or I just don't want to do it, I go bind books. It's a nice relief to get to work with my hands and be a little creative. I really like my second book and the process of creating it. The technique is called flat back binding, and it's your standard book, like most journals and hard cover books you purchase. P.S. I used to think $15 was a ridiculous price to pay for a journal. Now I realize that's cheap. I think I spent about $20 and 8 hours on this puppy. But it was worth it all.


The sewn-up text block


Gluing on the endbands and finishing the text block


The cover, covered in homemade paisley corduroy bookcloth (I love the corduroy!)


This is what I like to call the Chicago University Press (aka bookbinding at home with heavy books, like my two Chicago manuals, and coat hangers to create the hinge in the cover)

And . . . la piece de resistance:


I have always loved books. I'm pretty sure I was reading in the womb. And let me tell you, there is something about being able to create something that has always been a part of your life. I love the publishing industry, and I now have the skills to write, edit, design, print, and bind books. Maybe someday I'll take a book all the way through the process.

I think I'm more of a craftman than an artist when it comes to books, but I'm working on trying to be more creative. The sky is the limit when it comes to bookbinding. I haven't tried dying paper yet, and my covers so far have been one color/pattern. I'm working on that though. Anything can become a cover and I've started scouring the DI shelves and piles of junk looking for potential. So if you see anything just crying out to be a book, let me know.

One of These Books is Not like the Others

It's way cooler, because I made it.
I finished my first book tonight. The technique is called Coptic binding. And it's fantastic.