coming up roses

I'm one of those people who like a good book. I cannot go to sleep without reading at least a couple of pages (If not a whole chapter or two. Or three). Somehow I also have the habit of borrowing other people's books, and have read through a good portion of books in my sister's bookcase, my mother's bookcase, and my flat's shared bookcase. I do admire those houses that have floor to ceiling bookcases (complete with librarian's ladder). I think that it would be wonderful to have a little library in the house- with a fire, a cozy chair and endless cups of tea.
I also love art books- there is this oversized book on Leonardo da Vinci that I would love to own (alongside various fashion volumes and anything else that takes my fancy). I have an overriding tendency to buy non-fiction coffee- table books, despite the fact that I read a lot of fiction...

...So of course I was delighted to hear that we have a writer in the family (alongside a scattering of artists, designers and musicians). My clever cousin Sarah Laing, who is not only a mum and a graphic designer, but now a writer too! Sarah won the open section of the Sunday Star Times Short Story competition last year (I entered this when I was 13... I think I wanted to win the computer), and has now released a compilation of short stories, titled Coming Up Roses. Coming Up Roses is a beautifully written collection of short stories that follow a range of characters through brief, but important moments in their lives. Sarah not only wrote the book, but designed the cover (if you are a designer, this is of course, very important!), full of reds and pinks- the rose thorns on the side hint that there is a darker side to this compilation.

Like roses, a good start to grow a fiction collection...