Bookstore pick-up lines

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What a coincidence! No sooner do I ponder bookstore babes than I come across this handy-dandy cheat sheet for picking up said babes in said bookstore. Way to go, David Letterman! xoxo

MEMO TO MEN: Finding love is like finding a good book

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TO: Men all over the planet
FROM: Melissa
RE: Searching for the perfect book
DATE: July 17, 2013

So, boys, let's continue with the bookstore theme today, shall we? The more of these guys I saw, the more intrigued I became. In fact, there is nothing sexier than a man reading a book. Maybe that’s the writer in me talking, but if you can picture a man reading, your mind inevitably comes to the conclusion that a reading man is a talking man as well. And words? Well, those things are whole different type of sexy beast. That would also partially explain why so many college students fall in love with their professors. Books could quite possibly be the new lusting machine that no one can resist.

But the talking part? That, I will admit, is what I’ve had the most trouble navigating in the past. How do you flirt in a bookstore? I’m the sort of awkward girl who would try to coyly pretend I was reading a Shakespeare tragedy because I’d be giggling like a giddy schoolgirl behind the book. In fact, I’m not the sort of girl who can flirt on her feet. Ever. I see women who can toss their hair back, laugh naturally and lightly brush against the man’s arm as she sashays away. I've just never been that girl. I’ve never been able to do that, let alone do it in such a place as a bookstore. I’ve even tried to think of perfect pick-up lines, but they’d only end up sounding dorky and cheesy anyway...

"That has to be the luckiest book in the world. It’s in your arms."
"Don’t tell me how it ends; I haven’t read it yet."
"Don’t you love when books have the ending you were hoping for?"
"Can you read minds like you read books?"
"So...do you come to this bookstore often?"

See? Not very glamorous or sexy or even creative. So more often than not, I just end up admiring these men from afar, trying to make it look like I’m not looking at them, but making the right amount of eye contact to (hopefully) get his attention without leading him to think I’m some stalker. oh, and on that note, if you’re hiding behind a book, choose wisely. Nothing says “she’s not for me” faster than a behind-the-scenes book about Fatal Attraction or Love Addiction For Dummies.

So where exactly does that leave me? Still intrigued, but with an additional love lesson in my arsenal. Finding love nowadays is sort of like finding the perfect book, the book you want to curl up on the couch with on a rainy Sunday afternoon. It might take a little longer than you think to find just the one you're looking for -- obviously, I can attest to that. You have to wade through the flashy eye-catching covers that, when you sit down to read what’s inside, have absolutely no soul or substance whatsoever. But on the other hand, you have to be willing to give a simple, plain-looking book a second glance. You could very well be swept away by what’s below the dull surface. And ultimately, once you find your favorite book, you’ll want to spend the rest of your life holding onto it.

I’ll probably be heading to the bookstore a lot more these days. I do have research to do, after all. Maybe bookstores really are the new single’s bars. What do you think, boys? Make sure you look for me during your next browsing session. I'll be the shy girl making eye contact from behind the stacks... xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It]

MEMO TO MEN: Cute guy in the self-help section

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TO: Men all over the planet
FROM: Melissa
RE: On why I love bookstores
DATE: July 16, 2013

They say books can take you anywhere -- to distant lands, to magical palaces full of kings and queens and even places you’ve been to a million times, but for some reason, see things in a new light for the first time.

As I'm sure you're painfully aware by now, boys, I suffered through a series of searching and silent rejections in my teens and early '20s, discovering what I didn’t want. I knew I didn’t want the sort of guy you’d meet at a bar -- what’s sexy about a guy competing with his friends to get the most phone numbers? I knew I didn’t want the sort of guy who is great at having relationships, the only problem being he loves having a relationship with himself and no one else -- who wants to be a piece of arm candy, anyway? And I knew I didn’t want the sort of guy who pumps iron at the gym -- how can two people even talk with sweat dripping from their faces?

The brain. That’s what I wanted. A man with an actual, thriving, working, living one. I’ve long thought the brain is the most underrated body part. Translation: It is the sexiest body part. Ever. How did I come to this assertion? Easy. I met a handsome young doctor. I ended up in the hospital due to an allergic reaction to a medication when I was 20. A somewhat awkward medical student not much older than myself with brown hair and intense brown eyes to match oversaw my case. One morning, he came to take my blood, his eyes poised and fixated as he ran his index finger up and down my arm looking for a ripe, blue vein. All the while, he chatted about my prognosis like we were old friends. He later told me that I’d been one of his bravest patients. Little did he know he was greatest anesthetic I’d ever had.

This brings me to why I started doing more than book-bargain shopping every time I stepped through the doors of my two favorite bookstores: Borders and Barnes & Noble.

In the past, I viewed the bookstore as nothing more than that: a cozy little nook where you can browse the glossy women’s magazines and hardcover books. And that’s what I did; I was, quite frankly, a bookstore addict whose monthly fix seemed equivalent to that of a coffee drinker.

But something strange -- and, I suppose, somewhat remarkable -- shifted in the last few years. I kept noticing them, first only as glimpses out of the corner of my eye as I scanned the latest issue of ELLE or standing in front of me in the check-out line. There was a certain air about them, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. They were confident without being full of hot air; they were quiet but still loud enough to make a statement (If not, I probably wouldn’t have noticed, right?); they were intriguing without giving everything away; and perhaps most of all, they were handsome in that not-so-conventional, Hollywood male hotness way, which made them, well, all the more attractive in my eyes.

So one day, maybe out of boredom, possibly out of desperation, but most definitely out of intrigue and sheer curiosity, I started looking at more than the chick-lit section. I needed to look up. Literally. Because the more I strolled the bookstore, the more I saw the not-so-good guys begin to fade away. My revelation, one that I discovered somewhere between the history section and the Danielle Steele classics: It's not that nice guys don’t finish last. No, no. I just haven't been looking in the right place, boys.

Nice guys are in bookstores! You, boys, are there, walking up and down the aisles. My perfect guy could have been paging through a book and for all these years, I’d been too narrow-minded to get my nose out of a book and look up. The guy with the dimpled-cheek smile. The guy who’s a bit shy, a bit reserved. The guy who has those intense eyes buried in a book, sometimes resting his hands on his chin as if he’s deeply pondering the contents of said book.

Well, needless to say, I've been doing quite a bit of browsing ever since. After all, boys, it's all in the name of research. And besides, I've got years of work to catch up on. What do you think, boys? Agree? Disagree? Haven't made up your mind yet? Maybe you'll be able to decide after tomorrow's conclusion to our gripping look on love and bookstores... xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It]

Summer Week: What are your favorite beach reads?

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One of my favorite memories of visiting my grandparents every summer was the hours I'd spend lounging with a good book or magazine. Some mornings I'd wake up and read in bed for a bit. It was a great, relaxing way to start the day.

These days, though, I'll be the first to admit that I don't have nearly enough reading time carved into my schedule. We all know the importance of setting aside some time each day for "pleasure-leisure reading," as my sister calls it, so I'm bit ashamed to admit that I can't recall the last time I actually finished a book. A book from the Twilight series, maybe? Eeeeks! That was such a long time ago, was it?

Well, this summer, I'm going to try and take a few "reading breaks" here and there. Even if it's only reading a magazine on the patio (perhaps with some root beer, of course...), it will feel nice to relax like in the old days. What books do you like to read? The awesome What Should I Read Next? is a Web site that helps you find new books to read based on past favorites. To get started, all you do is type in the name of a book you liked. The site will search its huge database and give you recommendations for what to read next. You can even create book lists. How cool is that? Here are a few books I'd love to read this summer...

*L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad: I've had it sitting on my bookshelf for a couple years now and have heard good things about her books, $8.59.
*The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger: I'm in the writing game and haven't read this book (scandalous...), $12.37.
*Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard: I LOVE the TV show and am dying to see how the books compare, $20.54 (Books 1-4).
*At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks: I was obsessed with his novels years ago and would love to pick up where I left off, $7.19.
*The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio: I've always admired Sara's writing (and was honored to guest post on her Glamour blog a few years back...), $11.70.
*Peyton Place by Grace Metalious: I've always wanted to see if the last generation's Fifty Shades of Grey is as steamy as people made it out to be, $14.48.

Your turn, friends: What's on your must-read beach reads list? Have you read any of my picks? Any others you'd recommend? xoxo

[Top photo via We Heart It]

Vintage reading posters

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I've mentioned my family's love of libraries before, so I suppose it's only natural that these "yay, reading!" posters are making me all sorts of nostalgic this morning. These mid-century gems are so sweet and child-like, aren't they? I wonder what a typical plugged-in teen would think of these, especially the ones about how the books are arranged...HA!

If I ever have a home library one day, I'm definitely hanging a few of these on the wall. They'd even be perfect for a kid's room or an elementary school library...ahhh, the possibilities are endless! xoxo

P.S. More library-themed posts, including a little library, theatre turned library and library engagement.

[Via Brain Pickings]

Mother's Day Gift Guide!

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Affirmation bouquet of her favorite flowers and little love notes.

Botaniculture hand lotion for a calm and soothing bedtime routine, $26.

In Season, a cookbook filled with more than 150 recipes inspired by farmers' market ingredients, so she can spend her summer whipping up delicious new dishes, $35.

A set of state dish towels to celebrate special moments and places, $20 per towel.

These fun optimistic/pessimistic glasses because to her, the glass was always half full, $25.

A smartphone case since she's always losing her phone, $35.95.

An Every Occasion Notecard Set because she loves sending personalized notes, $22.

I Could Pee On This because she treats her cats like her children, $12.95.

A Cookie-of-the-Month subscription to say "Thank for" for all those times she made them for you, $69.95 and up (Mrs. Fields looks delicious too!).

A beach bum basket, including a tote bag ($28) and striped slippers ($35), so she can fully relax and recharge this summer.

A personalized family tree print to hang above her bed because family is the center of her world, $45.

Always A Mother necklace because she always says that being a mother is her most important job, $40.

A Mother's Day card with a handwritten note inside since that's all she really wants, $4.50.

P.S. More gifts for women and other gift guides...

Success chart

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Yes! Proof that success is not linear. :)

[Graphic by Demetri Martin, via Swiss-miss]

Family Photos: Memory bells

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For the last few years, my mom has led a grief group for students at her school who have lost parents. Sometimes, she'll come home and tell me about the lesson she did that week. Last week, she read the group the holiday classic The Polar Express and used the book as a launching pad to discuss grief. Sometimes, she told her students, we can start to feel like we're forgetting the loved one we lost, as if they're systematically being erased from our memory.

Well, enter these little bells. She had each student make one, and, as she explained, any time your loved one feels a million miles away, just ring the bell. It will remind you that they will always be with you in your heart. She also made one for Janelle and me, and it's are such a nice reminder of my father and my grandfather. I keep my little bell by my bed, and it makes me smile every time I look at it. Thanks, Mom! xoxo

Jane Austen stamps

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To say that my friend Grace likes Jane Austen would be the understatement of the century. In fact, I challenge you to find anyone who has a deeper appreciation for the 19th-Century author. So when Grace posted about these Jane Austen-inspired stamps on Facebook last week, I was almost worried that she'd have a heart attack from all the literary excitement. England's Royal Mail is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice with a special series of stamps featuring all six of Austen's novels.

Don't they remind you a little bit of Downton Abbey? They'd even look great framed on a book case or above a desk, don't you think, friends? xoxo

P.S. More stamp love, including Johnny Cash, Roald Dahl, cute animals and honesty stamps. :)

P.P.S. A new Open Letter is coming your way this afternoon! :  

Let's talk favorite words!

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My sister Janelle's quirkiness comes out at such random times during the day, but over the years, I've increasingly see it come out in our conversations. In fact, I've come to look forward to our quirky talks. A few months ago, we somehow found ourselves on the topic of words. What words we like. What words we wish would come back in style. While I have my favorite words, Janelle is a firm believer that the word man left the scene far too soon. As in...

"Hey, man, how's it going?"

"Cool it, man."

The word gives me visions of cool Beatnik poets wearing all black and performing their confessional slam poetry in smokey coffee houses -- you know, the classic '60s.

As it turns out, though, Janelle isn't the only one longing for a revival of some vintage words (and yes, I just made up that phrase...). Jeffrey Kacirk shows some love to forgotten words of yesteryear in The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten; his picks include words like snoutfair (A person with a handsome countenance) and wonder-wench (A sweetheart).

 

How awesome is that, friends? What words do you wish were back in the vernacular? Why do you like them? Do you find yourself saying them even if they're not "popular" anymore? xoxo

 

[Via Jezebel]

P.S. Remember these overused words? And, made-up words are fun too! :)

The Art of Clean Up

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Ursus Wehrli is a man after my own obsessive-compulsive heart. The Swiss artist lives for all things neat and tidy and celebrates his organizational know-how in the newly released English version of The Art of Clean Up. The book, already a bestseller in Germany, features photographs of everyday situations and objects neatly organized according to color, size and shape...

How awesome is that? Are you super organized or not so much? Fun fact: I used to alphabetize my CD collection; what's your weirdest organizational habit, friends? xoxo