UNEMPLOYED DESIGNER

You didn’t think we would give away three bestselling books without pairing them with a stunning set of bookends, did you? Of course not. We know many of you make a side game of predicting who or what we will feature in the month, so for those of you who guessed bookends, it’s time to give yourselves a hearty pat on the back. Of course, we could be giving away a month of car parts and we would still figure a way to feature these hip little book huggers by Kim Bonner of Unemployed Designer. And it’s not just because the image shows Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, one of my all-time favorite novels. Fabulous finds wait for no theme.
These leather bookends are as bright as Kim Bonner’s life philosophy. The unemployed designer opened up her lemonade stand in 2009 and put to use the design and sewing skills she has been honing since her first completed garment at six years of age. Having learned from her mother the importance of quality materials and construction, Bonner strives to make each piece look professionally produced. To that end, these books ends are constructed with thick, gold-pigmented cowhide and stuffed with pea-sized gravel for heft–a must for those of us who prefer heavy tomes. A look at her shop makes clear this eye for detail and professional excellence extends all throughout Bonner’s work. We’re not ones to will ill at The Bright Side Project, but we can’t say we would be devastated if Bonner were to stay Unemployed for a little while longer.
Unemployed Designer is giving away to one winner a Pair of Bookends in Modern Pebbled Leather to one lucky winner. The fun part? Kim Bonner decided she couldn’t possibly choose the best answer, so we’ve decided to let this one go to the random generator.
Here is how we are going to do it. We know many of you LOVE answering the questions and like to transfer your answers to a journal later on or even discuss answers with your friends over morning coffee at work. So, we are going to have a question here for you to answer as an additional entry, if you like. Otherwise, it’s the usual random generator business. Comment whatever you like and post to Facebook, Twitter, or your blog for each additional entry. Come back and let us know in the comments what you did. Here is the OPTIONAL question you need to answer by Thursday, January 21, 2010.
What book is at the top of your list to read this year?
Please check back on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 to see who the random number generator picked. Good Luck!


























Cute bookends! The top book on my to-read list is Stones Into Schools, the sequel to Three Cups of Tea (which if you haven’t read, I highly suggest!). The first book was hugely inspirational for me, I loved it!
I have six books on my nightstand and 3 are new. I always have a combination of an autobiography, fiction, and some sort of self help. I also like to keep a Bible or devotional book close by for a hopeful daily reading! Cool giveaway!
Dear John and When We Were Beautiful by Bon Jovi…
The One Year Bible. Can you believe I’m already behind in my reading schedule??? Yikes….
Well… Sadly, I rarely have the focus for a book anymore, BUT – always on top of my stack of readable is the current (or not so current) New Yorker.
The Holy Bible. My 7 year old was asking some very specific questions, so we went right to the source. We actually read the first 6 books of Genesis last night. I intend to keep it up.
I want to read The Lovely Bones because I realize I’m, like, the last person to get around to reading it (and, I sort of want to see the movie, but refuse to do so until I read the book). Also, I picked up a book called “Nudge” from the library. It’s about behavioral economics, which is pretty fascinating to this nerd. So, I’m looking forward to reading that one, too.
Lovely Bones (before I see the movie)
Eat Love Pray (for the second time)
and
Take This Bread
Love this giveaway!
At the top of my list right now is Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.
The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens. I’ve been meaning to read it for ages and ages and finally bought it last week. Woot!
I have two books about health to ready and two spiritual books, I pick them up every once in a while and love to read them…but it always seems other things get in the way.
Right now I’m reading a lot of theory books about the novel, women writers, etc. I guess I miss my days as an English undergrad! When I finish those, I really want to finally read Wuthering Heights. I’ve never been able to get through it!
I have a never ending to be read pile, but I do keep meaning to buy a nice copy of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee to read.
I tweeted here for the random draw http://twitter.com/fcffollower/status/7754469191
Top of my book list is “The Idiot’s Guide to Anatomy and Physiology” that I had borrowed from the library but will have to buy my own copy since nothing sticks in my brain.
I’ve heard The Red Tent is a good book, as of the moment, that’s my next “read”
Tweeted :)
http://twitter.com/SSzumski
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13 Reasons Why. It was suggested to me as a teacher and a mother of daughters.
Well I just started her fearful symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger but I also started Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story by Sue Monk Kidd and never finished it so that is another on the list for this year.
The Castle in the Forest, by Norman Mailer.
The New International Version Bible.
Ham on Rye – Charles Bukowski
I can’t wait to read Little Bee – I keep hearing great things about it.
Not My Daughter – Barbara Delinsky
Born to Run ( and I am reading it already-GO ME!-)
I am going to read the my Dan Brown when it gets to paperback. I also will probably re-read Persuasion. I read it about every year, but my last year was so busy that I didn’t get to it.
Interesting bookends!
I just found all my books from college and I realized that I don’t read enough nowadays. Maybe I’ll try re-reading Don Quixote!
Boys Adrift
i want to read Rain of Gold by Victor Villasenor Again, my most favorite book in the whole world
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro; it was the 1989 winner of the Booker Prize. I had picked up his book Never Let Me Go while traveling and was so impressed by his beautiful poetic writing and have been meaning to read The Remains of the Day for quite some time; last weekend I ended up going to Barnes & Noble and picked it up.
Book number 3 from the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. It doesn’t come out till Aug. of this year. I’m going to have to re-read the first two books to tide me over. Katniss is my hero.
Sunshine with you!
ill probably read anna karenina again, and might even take a stab at Dead Souls this year… honestly at the top of my list… Le Petit Prince :)
eat love pray. I need to do more of the latter and less of the former, but still… I am excited to read this!
michael polan’s “in defense of food,” definitely. i read and LOVED his “eater’s manifesto” and need to get back into healthy, conscious, whole eating habits. he’s such a brilliant writer. and so well-researched too!
My beau gave me a beautiful, monogrammed Bible for Christmas. I’m not religious, but curious, and will be reading portions each week.
I’ll be reading a lot of Thomas the Tank Engine, some natural history such as Dinosaur Fossils, and a bit of modern technology like “Jets and Aircrafts”.
My goodness…I’m not sure if there’s an absolute ‘top’ of my to-be-read booklist (which is extremely long and will take my whole life), but some that I am definitely hoping to power through this year include St. Augustine’s Confessions, Dante’s Divine Comedy, and something by Proust….
The LIttle Friend by Donna Tartt. I forgot it was on my bookshelf and then we moved, and it wasn’t on my bookshelf anymore, but in a box with some random crap, which is a horrible place for an unread book to be. To make amends, I’ve moved the poor thing to the top of my “To Read in 2010″ list.
“Gilead” by M. Robinson. Just read “Home” by the same author and it’s the most beautiful book I’ve read in years.
I just got The Help and I’m really looking forward to reading it.
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.
A stop over in venice by Kathryn walker.
Songs without words by Ann Packer.
+
The Diviners by Rick Moody
oh man i am NOT a reader, and I hate that, there are so many good books out there! I have been in the middle of the 2nd Twilight book for a few months, I KNOW what is my problem!!?!?! So I would like to finish that, and then I would like to read my bible more, there is so much good stuff in there :), and also Redeeming Love by Francine RIvers, i have heard nothing but RAVES of that book, its older but I have heard it’s good! Oh wish me luck people!
I just started Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
I’m bound and determined to read The New Testament…meaning half of the bible. It’s time I take in the whole thing and not just bits and pieces…
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I want to read the bible cover to cover. I hope I do.
“The Extended Phenotype” by Richard Dawkins. I am a genetics major and it was recommended very highly by one of my professors last term. It’s all about how genes influence animal behavior, and this behavior causes animals to modify their environment (think beaver dams). It’s a very interesting concept and I can’t wait to read about it.