This week's links. Enjoy.
Top Ten Homes in Literature
Stuart Evers picks ten memorable fictional homes, ranging from Miss Havisham's decaying domicile to Jekyll and Hyde's shared space.
Illustrations of Fashion Icons
Amusing portraits by illustrator Joana Avillez of some of the most influential people in the fashion industry, including Daphne Guinness, Marc Jacobs, Diane Pernet, Anna Piaggi and Tom Ford among others.
Between the Folds
Filmmaker Vanessa Gould's documentary Between the Folds explores the science, art and ingenuity of many of the world's best paper folders. The link takes you to the trailer for the film — I missed it the first time around when PBS showed it a couple of years ago, but happily they sell the DVD online. This looks amazing.
Compassion Made Easy
Intriguing report of a series of psychological experiments that asks, does the experience of compassion toward one person measurably affect our actions and attitudes toward other people? If so, are there practical steps we can take to further cultivate this feeling? (The answer is yes).
Sali Hughes
I've become a huge fan of Guardian beauty columnist Sali Hughes — she's brilliant at cutting through the bewildering array of skin and beauty products out there, explaining how they work, recommending the good ones and demonstrating (via video) how to use them, too, all in a friendly and accessible way.
Fictitious Dishes
Fun project by photographer Dinah Fried that depicts meals from the novels The Catcher in the Rye, Oliver Twist, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and Moby Dick. Guess I'm not the only one fascinated by what characters eat in books! Via Design Crush.
Daily Odd Compliment
Having a bad day? Check out the Daily Odd Compliment tumblr, whose sweetly offbeat compliments will have you smiling in no time.
The Lure of the Fairy Tale
Great New Yorker essay by Joan Acocella examining the often dark history of fairy tales, and why they still resonate with us today, with their often unsettling psychological truths about human nature.
Cold Soups
When the weather turns blistering hot, a chilled soup is a light and welcome alternative to the usual salads. Saveur has a nice round up of recipes for cold soups, including Cold Cucumber Yogurt, Cold Curried Summer Squash, Chilled Carrot Soup with Fines Herbes Mousse and Gazpacho.
(photo via ikea family live)