The Muse Bookgroup started in a gorgeous cafe called the Twain Shall Meet in Summer Hill, Sydney, Australia in June 2001. Meetings are every 2nd Wednesday of the month and topics are chosen 2 months in advance. We all welcome comments and additions to the suggested reading lists.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

FICTION
Breakfast at Tiffanys by Truman Capote
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Lake Wobegone days by Garrison Keillor
Truelove and homegrown tomatoes by Julie Cannon
Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Angry Housewives eating BonBon by Lorna Landvik
Short History of a small place by T.R. Pearson
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
The Rector's Wife by Joanna Trollope
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Mrs. Dalloway Virginia Woolf
A Crime in the Neighborhood by Suzanne Berne
The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne

VIEW YOUR FICTION
Arrested Development
Keeping up appearances
Picket Fences
Rent : the movie
Duplex
Deck the Halls

POETRY
The Good Neighbour by John Burnside

PLAY
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
Barefoot in the Park/Lost in Yonkers by Neil Simon
Boz n hood by John Singleton
Don’s Party by David Williamson

NON-FICTION

Prophets of the hood : politics and poetics in hip hop by Perry, Imani,
Jennifer Lopez by Trevor Baker
Sustainable communities : the potential for eco-neighbourhoods by Hugh Barton
Like a sweet cup of tea : shared lives, neighbourhoods and communities

WEBSITE

Neighbourhood Watch NSW http://www.policensw.com/a_search/neighood.html

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Nancy Pearl talk

yes, the Librarian who is also an action figure.

NANCY PEARL PUBLIC TALK:
Date: Sunday 10 December 2006
Venue: Barnet Long Room, Customs House
Time: 2pm - 3.30pm
Cost: $20 / $15
Phone bookings: (02) 8256 2222
On line bookings: www.cityrecitalhall.com and follow the prompts.
Nancy Pearl has worked as a librarian and bookseller in Detroit, Tulsa, and Seattle. She retired as Executive Director of the Washington Centre for the Book at the Seattle Public Library in August 2004.

Her book, "Book Lust", published in 2003 became a bestseller

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Reading the Muse

Here are some suggested readings for the Muse Bookgroup.
Please post any other suggestions.

NOVEMBER 2006 - INTERIOR DECORATION AND ARCHITECTURE

FICTION
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House by Eric Hodgins
Folly by Laurie R. King
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd
Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman
Honeymoon by james Patterson
Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews
Capability's Eden by Diana Saville
Female Ruins by Geoff Nicholson
The Cloud Sketcher by Richard Rayner
The drift latitudes by Jamal Mahjoub
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Death by inferior design : a domestic bliss mystery by Leslie Caine
Home Repair is Homicide series by Sarah Graves
(The Dead Cat Bounce, Triple Witch, Wicked Fix, Wreck the Halls, Repair to Her Grave.)

NON FICTION

NARRATIVE
House by Tracy Kidder
House thinking : a room-by-room look at how we live by Winifred Gallagher
History of interior design & furniture : from ancient Egypt to nineteenth-century Europe by Robbie G. Blakemore
10 x 10_ 2 : 100 architects, 10 critics by Julia Hasting
Design like you give a damn : architectural responses to humanitarian crises by Architecture for Humanity
The architecture of happiness by Alain De Botton
Hollywood at home by Paige Rense
Architourism : authentic, escapist, exotic, spectacular by Joan Ockman & Salomon Frausto
The magic of tents : transforming space by, Alejandro Bahamón
Princely Rajasthan : Rajput palaces and mansions by Antonio Martinelli
Xtreme houses by Courtenay Smith
What color is your slipcover? : how discovering your design personality can help you create the home of your dreams by Denny Daikeler

BIOGRAPHIES
Glenn Murcutt : buildings + projects 1962-2003 by Françoise Fromonot
Frank Lloyd Wright by Ada Louise Huxtable
Inigo : the life of Inigo Jones, architect of the English renaissance by Michael Leapman
Starck by Philippe Starck
Frank O. Gehry
Allen Jack + Cottier : 1952-2002
Josef Frank : life and work
Gaudi
John Horbury Hunt : radical architect, 1838-1904
Josef + Anni Albers : designs for living
William Morris and the arts & crafts home
Terence Conran : design and the quality of life by Elizabeth Wilhide
Dictators' homes by Peter York
Celebrity bedroom retreats : professional designers' secrets from 40 star bedrooms by Joanna Lee Doster

PRETTY PICTURES
The not so big house by Sarah Susanka
At home with Japanese design : accents, structure and spirit by Jean Mahoney
Bali houses : new wave Asian architecture and design by Gianni Francione
The new city home : smart design for metro living by Leslie Clagett
Children's spaces by Mark Dudek
The comfortable home : an inspirational guide to creating feel-good spaces by Jane Burdon
A passion for art : art collectors and their houses by Irene Gludowacz
Colin & Justin's how not to decorate by Colin McAllister
Old house new home : stylish modern living in a period setting by Ros Byam Shaw
Fun rooms : home theaters, music studios, game rooms, and more by Ana Cristina G.Cañizares
100 more of the world's best houses by Robin Beaver
Flea market style by Emily Chalmers
Thrift : how to have a stylish home without breaking the bank by Bridget Bodoano
Spectacular small kitchens : design ideas for urban spaces by E. Ashley Rooney
Creating great guest rooms by Carol Donayre Bugg
New spaces, old world charm : the art of elegant interiors by Ann Sample
Animal house style : designing a home to share with your pets by Julia Szabo
The private house by Rose Tarlow
Pad : the guide to ultra-living by Matt Maranian Matt
Living with books by Alan Powers
Princely Rajasthan : Rajput palaces and mansions by Antonio Martinelli
Punk Shui: Home Design for Anarchists by Josh Amatore Hughes

WEBSITES
Stribling – Real Estate Agent in New York Fantastic homes – some in excess of US$20K
http://www.stribling.com/

Luxury Real Estate
http://www.luxuryrealestate.com/

Leading Estates Online
http://www.leadingestatesonline.com

Victoria and Albert Museum
http://www.vam.ac.uk/

House and Garden
http://www.houseandgarden.co.uk