gritLIT: Hamilton Reads

The photo of Tor Lukasik-Foss on the left is a good indicator of how animated some of the panelists got while defending their chosen books at the first Hamilton Reads competition on Wednesday night. The event launched one of my favourite festivals in the city, gritLIT.

Novelist Trevor Cole, who defended Bedtime Stories by Robert Wiersema, took home the trophy with the help of a pair of pajamas and a red duffel bag full of props.

There is still a day and a half left of gritLIT, including tonight's Books and Music event, which I'll be taking my dad to after I introduce him to one of my new favourite spots, The Baltimore House on King William. The full schedule for gritLIT is available here.

Panelist and winner Trevor Cole 



Panelist Annette Hamm



Quotable: Record Collecting for Girls by Courtney E. Smith

“I mean, what's the point of knowing so much about music and loving so many songs if you can't drop them like little emotional bombs in peoples' lives?”

— Courtney E. Smith, Record Collecting for Girls: Unleashing Your Inner Music Nerd, One Album at a Time

This line made me smile a devilish smirk, loving that somewhere out there, there are people who think of me whenever “The Park” by Feist or “Black” by Pearl Jam seeps through their speakers.

Bookish NYC: Day One

Anyone who goes away with me knows that I keep my camera draped over my neck from the time I climb off the plane, train, or bus, and it stays there until I'm safely back at home. In just two full days of exploring New York City, I managed to take more than 600 photos. Here are just a few of the many bookish stops we made while roaming Manhattan. 

As two publishing geeks, we couldn't help but imagine working in publishing in NYC.

The book department at FAO Schwarz

FAO Schwarz book department

Beneath the tangle of trees that create a canopy over Central Park, we found the Literary Walk. Here we're greeted by the Bard.

This gentleman peering up toward the sky is Robert Burns.

Seeing Central Park during each of the four seasons is now firmly implanted on my bucket list.

We covered most of New York City on foot, stopping in many places along the way. While walking from Central Park back toward Macy's we found this collection of used books.

I've already posted photos from inside the New York Public Library, but I haven't written about the incredible treasures housed inside. As part of an exhibit called "Celebrating 100 Years," I stood in awe of some of the most incredible items I've ever been in the presence of, including the stuffed toys that inspired Winnie the Pooh and even Charles Dickens' cat's paw, which, in an eerie tribute, he crafted into a letter opener.

NYC 2012: The New York Public Library

I love falling in love with spaces, whether it's a favourite coffeeshop or an airy apartment overlooking a foreign city. Every once in a while even photos can't capture a place that I've fallen in love with, which is exactly how I felt a few weeks ago when I caught my first glimpse of the New York Public Library.