Rediscovering books through calligraphy and book quotes

I've been distracted lately. My book blogging isn't very consistent and I know some of you are probably curious what's keeping me busy. Aside from the usual humdrum of work, life, and all that in general, I have rediscovered calligraphy.

I sent out a quick message to Instagrammers for some favourite bookish quotes and got three replies. Here they are rolled up nicely in a post for you. By way of rediscovering calligraphy, I am rediscovering old reads as well as getting that reminder to read books ever on my TBR.

I am thinking of making this a regular feature where you name the quote, I'll write it! As long as I have a steady steam of requests, I'm happy to write!

Curious about my calligraphy journey? I will be posting some of my bookish efforts on @guiltlessreader. But I  have an Instagram account dedicated to calligraphy too - come follow me at @titik.at.tinta.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Here's my first request was from Nishita of Nishita's Rants and Raves for the well known line from Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.* The book is one of Atwood's dystopian novels and with the recent release of the series on Hulu - proving to be quite popular! - there is naturally a revival of interest in the book.

I remember being scared half out of my wits reading this the first time (and I was not in a high school where this was required reading). If you haven't read this yet, I guarantee it is worth your time.

The line below, as per the book, translates to "Don't let the bastards grind on you." And no, this is not Latin but loosely based off it only.

Nolite te bastardes carborundorum - Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood . . . . . . Thanks to @nishitak for the quote request! . . . . #bookquotes #handmaidstale #margaretatwood #bookishquote #nolitetebastardescarborundorum #calligraphy #freehand #freehandcalligraphy #dippen #dippencalligraphy

A post shared by titik + tinta (@titik.at.tinta) on Jul 9, 2017 at 7:30pm PDT

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

The second requester was from the Mama Reads Blog. Despite being a huge Neil Gaiman fan, I still haven't read his hugely popular fantasy comic The Sandman.*

The quote "Omnia mutantar nihil interit" translates to "Everything changes but nothing is truly lost." I looked that up, of course. and now I am double intrigued by the series.

In my books, Neil Gaiman never disappoints. Have you read this yet? Would you recommend it?

#Repost @titik.at.tinta (@get_repost) ・・・ Omnia mutantar nihil interit (Everything changes but nothing is truly lost) - The Sandman by Neil Gaiman . . . . . Thanks to @mamareadsblog for the quote request! . . . #quote #thesandman #neilgaiman #neilgaimanquote @neilhimself #calligraphy #calligraphyart #dippencalligraphy #dippen #thesandmanquote

A post shared by guiltlessreader (@guiltlessreader) on Jul 13, 2017 at 4:35pm PDT

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Reading the last lines of the children's classic Charlotte's Web gave me all the warm fuzzies again. I want to reread it again and just relive the feeling of this heartwarming (and heartwrenching) tale of friendship.

“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both."

{Insert sigh here}

For Charlotte's Web diehards, here are the last lovely lines. Thanks to @lostinliterature108 for the quote request 😘 . . . . #charlottesweb #ebwhite #ebwhitequote #bookquotes #calligraphy #dippen #dippencalligraphy #redink

A post shared by titik + tinta (@titik.at.tinta) on Jul 15, 2017 at 8:07am PDT

Quote: Smile says #DrSeuss

Sometimes all it takes is a quotation and a calligraphy pen. I've been getting back into this old hobby and feeling pretty smug about results. Until I look at it again and see all the flaws. I guess that's part of doing something new ... try and try and try.

I hope you're all enjoying the upcoming summer! I am loving the sun streaming in while I scribble around.

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.
- Dr. Seuss

Quote: Does this spark joy? {The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up}

Does this spark joy?

About The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo*: This #1 "New York Times" best-selling guide to decluttering your home from Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes readers step-by-step through her revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing. Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles?

Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever.

The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo's clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list). With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house "spark joy" (and which don't), this international bestseller featuring Tokyo's newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home--and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

***

My second doodle post on Guiltless Reading - what do you think?

That's a life-changing line right there. No ifs, no buts. And it's not hype. I wasn't expecting to like this book but it has these little nuggets that make actually a difference - in my own mind and in my home. My home is in a constant state of editing and this quote is the reason. You can check out my review here - if you battle with hoarding tendencies, I urge you to give this book a try!

Are you doing your spring cleaning? What do you think about this quote - do you buy into it?

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Quote: Lunatic {1984 by #GeorgeOrwell}

Perhaps a lunatic was simply a minority of one. At one time it had been a sign of madness to believe that the Earth goes round the Sun; today, to believe the past is inalterable. He might be alone in holding that belief, and if alone, then a lunatic. But the thought of being a lunatic did not greatly trouble him; the horror was that he might also be wrong.

About 1984 by George Orwell*: The year 1984 has come and gone, but George Orwell's prophetic, nightmarish vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is timelier than ever. 1984 is still the great modern classic of "negative utopia" - a startlingly original and haunting novel that creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing, from the first sentence to the last four words. No one can deny the novel's hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions -a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.

***

I've started up lettering, doodling (or whatever you want to call it) again because of a need for some more tangible creative activity. I've been dabbling in calligraphy for a while now and decided to get back into it. You know the feeling that you're just touching a keyboard all the time? There is something to be said about holding a pen in hand and giving a blank sheet of paper a once over before purposely marring it ... for yourself.

Do you like to doodle? I'd love to see some of your work!

Book Depository*

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Quote: Alive

“I live in fear of being alive.”
― Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez, Of Love and Other Demons

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Quote: Happy New Year!

“And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.”
 ― Rainer Maria Rilke

(Photo courtesy Tyssul Patel, unsplash.com )

Quote: Distract

“Immersing oneself in the problems of a book is a good way to keep from thinking of love.”
 ― Orhan Pamuk, Snow

(Photo courtesy https://unsplash.com/taylorleopold)

Quote: They never listen

“People never learn anything by being told, they have to find out for themselves.”
 ― Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die

(Photo courtesy Canva.com)

Quote: Happy Halloween!

“And that's when I realized, when you're a kid you'd don't need a costume, you are Superman.”
- Jerry Seinfeld, Halloween

(Clipart courtesy Canva.com)

Quote: Power

“A word after a word after a word is power.”
- Margaret Atwood

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Quote: Dumpees

“Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back.”
-  John Green, An Abundance of Katherines

(Photo courtesy Canva.com)

Quote: Pay attention

“One must never disregard a message from the universe.”
- Laurie R. King, The Bones of Paris

(Photo courtesy Canva.com)

Quote: Happy #FathersDay

“Sometimes I think my papa is an accordion. When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes.” ― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

(Photo courtesy Canva.com)

Quote: Read Differently

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” ― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

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Happy Mothers Day!

“But kids don't stay with you if you do it right. It's the one job where, the better you are, the more surely you won't be needed in the long run.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, Pigs in Heaven

(Photo courtesy Canva.com)

Quote: Words

“Words never mean what we want them to mean.”
― Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is Illuminated

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Quote: Good Friday

“Christmas and Easter can be subjects for poetry, but Good Friday, like Auschwitz, cannot. The reality is so horrible it is not surprising that people should have found it a stumbling block to faith.” ― W.H. Auden

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Quote: Spring!

"You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”

-Pablo Neruda {Image: Callie Hegstron}

Quote: Healing

“What happens when people open their hearts?"
... "They get better.”
 ― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

Photo courtesy Death to Stock

Quote: Worse

“We never look beyond our assumptions and, what’s worse, we have given up trying to meet others; we just meet ourselves.”

Curious, check out my review of The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

Image from The Jungle Collection.

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