Mobtown inspired

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I read Mobtown, by Jack Kelly last month. It was"a book set in my hometown," Rochester, NY. 

Hogfather inspired

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Under the heading of "better late than never," here is a Christmas manicure . . . Well, technically it is a Hogswatch manicure.

Outlander inspired

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I have to post a three more book inspired manicures for the year. I have some ideas, but the time to do them, not sure. This is a mani inspired by Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon, which I read for the reading challenge prompt, "a book a friend recommended." The manicure looked a lot better in my head than it came out, but I wanted to share it with you nonetheless. 

The Wee Free Men Inspired

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I read The Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett to my daughter for the reading challenge, "A book with magic." It was a fun book to read and was the first book by Terry Pratchett I've ever read.

The Touchstone Inspired

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I read The Touchstone, by Edith Wharton earlier this year for the challenge, "A popular author's first novel." It was technically her first novella. The House of Mirth is one of my all-time favorite books, so I was happy to hear another of Edith Wharton's stories.

Earthsea Trilogy inspired

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The Earthsea trilogy, by Ursula K. Le Guin inspired this manicure. The three books, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, and The Farthest Shore were published between 1968 and 1972.  The stories take place in the world of Earthsea, a place made of small archipelagos, separated by huge distances of ocean.

Last of Halloween with Anonymous Lacquer

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Last Halloween manicure with polishes from the Monster Mash Awesome Sauce Indie Box, but definitely not the last time that I'll wear these gorgeous polishes.

Awesome Sauce Indie Box Halloween Nails

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I know, I only post book inspired manicures these days, but I loved this quarter's Awesome Sauce Indie Box so much that I wanted to share. I am shocked that there are still boxes available for sale. See the link for purchase below.

The Far Pavilions inspired

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At one point, while reading The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye,  I said I felt like I was falling in love. It was just that immersive and beautiful. The book, published in 1978 tells the story of an orphan named Ash, the son of British parents, who is raised as an Indian Hindu by his nanny, Sita. Sita was in constant fear that Ash's British roots would be discovered and he'd be killed, so she told him that she was his mother. She also told him of a perfect valley in the Himalayas, where there would be peace. He shared this dream of a peaceful valley with an Indian princess named Anjuli. Anjuli was not accepted by most of the people in her home because her mother was Russian and, like Ash,  Anjuli yearned to escape a world of betrayal and murder.

"Ash did not know that he had been born within sight of those snows, or that he had spent his earliest years among the high Himalayas, falling asleep to the sight of them rose-dyed by the sunset or silver under the moon, and waking to see them turn from apricot and amber to dazzling white in the full blaze of the morning. They were part of his subconscious mind, because once, long ago, he had known them by heart as other children know the frieze painted on a nursery wall. But looking at them now, he felt sure that somewhere in the folds of those mountains lay the valley that Sita used to speak of at bedtime: their own valley."

-M.M. Kaye, The Far Pavilions

Audrey Hepburn, an Elegant Spirit inspired

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I read Audrey Hepburn, an Elegant Spirit, by Sean Hepburn Ferrer in April. Of course, like so many others, I have loved the works of Audrey Hepburn since I was a child. "Roman Holiday" still makes me cry every time I watch it. She was perfection in that film and "Charade" is such an entertaining ride.

Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones inspired

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I read Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones back in May. She also authored Howl's Moving Castle and a number of other entertaining young adult novels. Every one of her books that I've read is charming and magical. So far, Dogsbody is my favorite.

To Kill a Mockingbird inspired

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I had a very hard time creating a manicure for To Kill a Mockingbird. I love the book so much, but I wasn't sure how to represent that love. I reread the novel in March and throughout the reading, I said to my husband over and over just how astounded I was by how good it was, a perfect blend of heart and humor. 

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon inspired

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I read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin out loud to my 7 year old daughter in February. It kept her attention, was full of lovely, magical stories, and made a teary mess of me before the end. It is an uplifting story with a message that we all need to be reminded of from time to time. I think my girl will want to and be able to read it independently soon too.

Cloud Atlas inspired

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I am a little bit behind in posting my book-inspired manicures and brief thoughts on some of the books I'll read during the year. I am participating in the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge. If I finish, I'll read 52 books in 2015. I love manicures that have a story, so once a month, I'll show a manicure inspired by one of the books I read. As I said, I'm a little behind, so I hope to post manicures for February and March very soon.

Novels and Nails

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Just a handful of the books on my reading list

I have been debating how I should go about writing my first blog post in over a year. I could come up with some big explanation, but there really isn't one. So instead, let's just start over and I'll pretend it hasn't been forever. . .