Welcome to this week's selection — enjoy.
Sarah Waters's Top 10 Victorian Novels
I have a total addiction to reading Victorian novels — Dickens, Collins, and the Brontës are always wonderful escapist reads. Here Sarah Waters, author of three thrillers set in Victorian London (her latest, Fingersmith, is on the Orange prize longlist, and has been described as a modern Woman in White) picks her favourites.
Coco Avant Chanel
There's lots of buzz about the new Coco Chanel movie starring the lovely Audrey Tatou — click on the link for a sneak peek! Via the always fab Ruby Press blog.
The Great American Catalog
Rosecrans Baldwin of The Morning News interviews Robin Cherry, author of The Great American Catalog, about her book chronicling the rich history of mail-order catalogs. This sounds like the kind of book you can browse for hours. Be sure to check out the slide show, too, where you'll find a familiar face before it was famous! Via things magazine.
In the Blood: Why Do Vampires Still Thrill?
New Yorker writer and critic Joan Acocella takes an indepth look at the history of vampires in literature, plays and film, and ponders why we're still fascinated (as the recent Twilight series amply shows).
Donna Hay Magazine
Jane posted about this earlier, and I'm so excited — Donna Hay magazine is now online! I've got several of her cookbooks (which I have to confess I bought as much for the stunning photography as for the recipes), and it's great there's now a website. Yay!
Scanwiches
And while we're on the subject of food, Scanwiches — a curious blog devoted to scanned cross sections of deli sandwiches. Why, I don't know, but it's kind of nice to know there's someone who thought this would be a neat thing to do. Via Design Observer.
Thinking Yourself Better Again
Interesting article about a very simple meditation technique that helps overcome sad or angry thoughts and gives you better control over how you feel, so you can focus on just doing.
Jorg Hamburger
Grain Edit has a nice post about the Swiss designer Jorg Hamburger, whose work during the 50s and 60s is a lovely example of Swiss design minimalism.
(Dining room photograph via Domino's Deco Files)