OceanViolet

Your summer book shelf

Jessica Arb — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:42:31 +0000

We have our goto’s for most of the advice we seek. The foodie friends that can rattle off the best restaurants in the east village under five minutes flat, those that can tell us the difference between a trademark and a copyright and the ones we lean on for sound dating advice.

With summer fast approaching and we prepare to flee on vacation, I’ve asked those that I consider to be the book worms in my life for their summer reading recommendations. What books they’ve already poured through and what they are pulling off their shelf next.

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MIKE DANG

Co Editor, The Billfold, Managing Editor at Longreads. If you haven’t heard his story on The Moth, you can listen to it here.

I spend a lot of time on the Internet reading long-form journalism, essays, and short fiction, so I don’t often find myself with a lot of time to read actual books these days. When I do, I find myself drawn to books with collections of stories—books I can pick up and read in bursts and put down without ever feeling like I’m missing out on a narrative that won’t continue until I pick up the book again.

Two recent books I’ve read fall into this category—perfect for when you’re sitting at a cafe drinking iced coffees during the summer, or whenever you have a half hour to spare and want to read something that will make you feel a wide variety of things: sad, hopeful, reflective, satisfied. The first is Cheryl Strayed’s collection of advice columns, Tiny Beautiful Things. Strayed has lived and overcome. She has found love and lost it.

“The advice she gives often comes with a story from her past, which makes her advice better than advice—she gives you story that you can keep with you and look to for inspiration.”

The other book I’d recommend is John Jeremiah Sullivan’s Pulphead, which is one of the best book of essays I’ve ever read. Others agree—one of the essays (“Mr. Lytle”) won a National Magazine Award when it was originally published in the Paris Review. The book also has this amazing essay called “Peyton’s Place,” which is about a time when Sullivan and his wife allowed a production crew from One Tree Hill film at his house in Wilmington, North Carolina.

This summer, I’m looking forward to reading George Saunders’s Tenth of December, his collection of short fiction. I’ve finished reading two of the stories from his collection. They’ve already become stories I’ll never forget.

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TAYLOR YOUNG BROWN
Teacher + Mother to two of the most handsome boys on earth.

Seriously did not speak to my adorable husband for three straight nights while I read The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. Typically I fall asleep in nano seconds after engaging in a book but not this one. As nighttime approached, I’d gracefully curtsy jump into bed dressed in a proper gown, velvet upholstered cushions propped up behind me all while my handmaiden brushed my hair 3000 times (Okay getting carried away).

“Think ‘The Borgias‘ with romantic twists and societal ladder climbing doing whatever it takes to be queen- type of characters.”

A lot of back stabbing and ruthless behavior among sisters. A rocking chair, glass of rose and this book equals the perfect summer combination. Be warned to block out your social calendar for a few consecutive nights. Nose buried.

My summer reading agenda includes Breakfast with Buddah by Roland Merullo.

My mother is spiritual, not in a hokey-way but a comfy-make-you-feel-safe-way. On occasion she crosses the line but for the most part she is on point — and an avid reader. She explains this book as, “Entertaining, spiritual in a very tasteful way. Not preachy but eye-opening.” A book her daughter should read. The daughter who asked when she was three, “Why are we here?” Well. With summer on the horizon think it may be the time to listen to mom and get in touch with those spiritual roots. Maybe. Just maybe, I’ll dust off the ol’ yoga mat and sip a green drink or two.

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TALIA RAVIV
Co-Founder of NobleCrust Pies + ReasonsToLoveNewYork

Perfect for summer when you might have a few extra moments to spare and revel in reading. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, is a special book that brings the beat of summer. Set between New Jersey and the Dominican Republic, it somehow manages to be a very New York novel. You can feel the sweaty, pulsing heat of summer coursing through the streets and the history Diaz describes in his seamless toggling between geek-out speak and mellifluous slang.

This book can send you down a rabbit hole of reading a chapter and then spending the rest of the night looking up the syntax and literary references from its “ghetto-nerd” hero.

First in my queue from summer is Telegraph Avenue because what has Michael Chabon ever done you wrong? He’s made me actually enjoy reading about comic books and got me believing that there could be a thriving Yiddish enclave in Alaska. Even at the beach I’m never really looking for a light, mindless read. But Chabon manages to inject so much humor and wit even into serious subject matter – probably as close as I will ever come to a ‘beach read.’

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PATRICK DANIAL

CTO + Co-Founder, Terakeet. Certifiable Literati

It can be picked up, quickly put down, jostled among others and, later, sensibly permit recovery. It’s summa’time reading—and it should be undauntedly delicious!

I’m not suggesting you play safe and dally south of the brow, but why waste these precious few months buried in some cantankerous crypt of dizzying prose? Get to a beach somewhere, with Weizen or Pimm’s calling shotgun, and slip’n’slide into one of these from my bookshelf:

Our Story Begins– Tobias Wolff. Thirty years of wonderfully fresh short stories. Wolff serves up the tender loin from the ordinary with unsparing efficiency and precision. Common, throughout, is the fascinating curiosity to lie. Wolff once explained:

“The world is not enough, maybe? … To lie is to say the thing that is not, so there’s obviously an unhappiness with what is, a discontent.”

(If you like, also try: “This Boy’s Life: A Memoir”)

Next up, An Homage to Catalonia – George Orwell. Yes, a book on war. (This blog needs a bit of hair on its chest.) Except this one reads fast, engages, and still finds room for humor–british style. A primer to the upcoming second world war–fascists, communists, socialists, and mother nature, collide in a rare first hand account of the ugly and gruelling hard-fought Spanish Civil War. All the while, providing glimpses of Orwell’s budding ideologies to later shape his more famous works. (Breeze through, then step back a decade for: “Down and Out in Paris and London.”)

Here’s what I’ve slated for my summer to-read list:

Leaf Storm and Other Stories – Gabriel Garcia Marquez (more shorts)
Keep the Aspidistra Flying - George Orwell (the obsession continues)
The Devil in the White City - Erik Larson (someone insists I, finally, do)

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CAROL COFONE

Lead Strategic Planner at Big Arrow Group. An avid reader who believes learning is a life-long endeavor, also serves as unofficial mentor + guru to Oceanviolet.

Summer means so many things, and so does summer reading: Is it SUMMER READING—the great books on required reading lists from school? Or is it BEACH READING, something breezy, romantic or mysterious, with waterlogged pages and sand stuck in the binding? Too hard to tell, so here are two lists–the blender drinks of reading lists. All they need is a little paper umbrella.

The first is a list I would recommend to someone else, since I’ve already read + loved them:

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Yes, great literature to quiet the voice of your inner professor. But it’s packed with pirates, revenge, corrupt society, and Carnevale in Rome.

So you’ve earned a beach read, and my all-time favorite is The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga—recommended to me years ago by my friend Caroline, to whom I am indebted—I have read this four times now. It has a believable heroine, a flood damaged book, pornography, a riveting auction and Florence in 1964.

Here are the books I want to read for myself, hoping I will enjoy them just as much:

The Decameron by Boccaccio. Again, great literature, and a must if I ever want to really understand Italian. Plus the beautiful people of the Trecento escaping Florence and the ravages of the plague, all the while telling stories.

The 4 Percent Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality by Richard Panek. All I need now are my binoculars and a wish on a falling star.

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J.B CHAYKOWSKY

Designer + Mobile/Brand Strategist + EveryDream.com, follow him @jbchaykowsky My recommendation: The Complete Collection of Short Stories by Ernest Hemingway.

I find myself almost ten years removed from my college years and with certain nostalgia wandering back to books that shaped me as a young designer. There is a minimalism to Hemingway’s writing style that imparts discovery onto the reader. The reader is forced to fill in the blanks with their own memories. Empowering them to recall themselves or people they know into the story. I imagine Hemingway toiling over the right collection of words to make the most impact. Then continuing refinement by removing even more.

I felt my design work should be similar. I needed to refine it to its most basic yet thought provoking form, drawing the user or viewer into the work to discover something more.

Re-reading these short stories, I am reminded of what a crucial tool editing is to the creative process, or, hell, even the life we live.

What I’m looking forward to reading: White by Kenya Hara. I am excited to read this book because I am obsessed with simplifying form and function. The Japanese culturally have created such beautiful forms out of simple gestures. And just as I described Hemingway’s writing style – this simplification allows the user to imply meaning and emotion.

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So, there you have it my dear readers. Let’s not let Tsunkoku set in, get to reading. Book it! Gold star.

Featured Image: Claudio Bravo, “Two Girls Reading.”

One fish, two fish, good fish, bad fish

Jessica Arb — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:42:58 +0000

When I first moved to New York almost six years ago, I could count the number of friends I had on one hand. I joined a kickball league, volunteered, socialized my ass off, but the city wasn’t very kind to the new kid. People had routines with steady crews already navigating the water far before I arrived. It took a solid year for me to really have a group of friends that could remember my my birthday, meet up for happy hour on a whim and the most importantly: sit in silence when watching an episode of Law & Order.

One thing I learned very quickly when living in New York, was that the “birthday party” was the pinnacle of the event scene. It is always someone’s birthday and by God, we New Yorker’s go all out for the day of our birth. You can imagine my excitement when I received the precious invite to one of my newly minted girlfriend’s “birthday dinner.” This wasn’t any ordinary invite, this was the pre-dinner with her inner circle of closest girlfriends, that was taking place before the actual party – this was huge. The birthday girl’s dinner soirée was happening at the celebrity frequented, dim sum slinging, fancy pants Upper East Side restaurant, Philippe Chow. I was elated, giddy, up to my eyeballs in excitement…until I reviewed the Philippe Chow menu. I speed read through the appetizers, making my way to the entrées and there it was: Shark Fin Soup.

Shark Fin Soup?

Really?

Was this a test of my moral and ethical character?

If I haven’t mentioned before, shark conservation is a very passionate subject for me. In fact, I wrote an entire post about it last year, here. I was faced with a mighty dilemma. I’ve just been invited to my first real birthday dinner with a group of girls that had serious BFF potential. So I do I respect my RSVP and attend? Or do I bow out knowing I cannot and will not support an establishment serving a dish that is basically depleting our oceans of sharks in the most heinous, gruesome, cruelest way possible?

My decision didn’t take very long to make, clearly I wasn’t going to attend. The birthday girl didn’t seem to mind one-way or the other. I decided mid conversation not to try to convince her to move dinner venues, we weren’t there yet. So, instead of celebrating what would be one of many birthday parties I’d attend in my future; I sat down and wrote an email to Philippe Chow. A plea about the devastation this “delicacy” has caused and the brutal and ecologically damaging practice where the shark’s fins are removed and the shark is discarded and left to die. I know many others wrote and protested as well and in August 2009, Philippe Chow removed Shark Fin Soup from their menu. Success!

Which leads me to my current dilemma: Shark + shark fin soup is easy enough to spot and avoid. It’s been ripped from menus and banned by law across multiple states and around the world. But the girl who once boycotted the birthday dinner in protest has lost her way, out of part confusion + part inconvenience. Sure, I’m totally aware of the health issues associated with eating “bad” fish, but it’s a confusing world of information and I am publicly admitting my guilt. In fact, I sheepishly returned to a restaurant that I fully knew served marlin when I actually worked, campaigned and protested to keep Marlin off the menu. I try as hard as I can to choose the most sustainable options of fish, let’s admit it – it’s murky water (pun intended.) Should it be farm raised, wild-caught, sustainable, pole-caught? Even Dan Barber got hoodwinked and clearly, I am not the only one with these concerns, as was made clear by the recent Too Few Fish in the Sea Room For Debate feature in the NYTimes.

Lucky for us, there are a few resources available to help us make the best decisions. Here are just a few:

#1) The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch App: Gives you up-to-date recommendations for ocean-friendly seafood and sushi. Picture this: You’re sitting at Nobu and type in “Bluefin Tuna” into your trusty app and you’ll get a big red AVOID message. From there it’s up to you to decide whether or not you want to ingest the mercury laden totally overfished almost extinct species. You can or print out a trusty little wallet version as well.

#2) Add a few new recipes to your repertoire courtesy of the NYTimes:

Oven Poached Pacific Sole with Lemon Sauce
Steamed Arctic Char with Piperade
Stripped Bass or Mahi Mahi with Fennel, Leeks & Tomatoes —> someone feel free to make this + invite me over.
Pick a fish any white fish (Halibut, Mahi Mahi, Striped Bass) throw some Chermoula.

#3) Who doesn’t love a good infographic:

Here’s what we learned from this post:

Be nice to the new girl. She may flake on your birthday dinner, but it could be more good reason.
You’ve heard the vegetarian at a dinner party joke, right? ”Q: How do you find the vegetarian at a dinner party? A: Don’t worry, they’l let you know.” Look – I don’t need to stand on a soapbox and plead my case for all things under the sea, nor should you feel like you have to prophesize your vegan, vegetarian, gluten issues, but please – stand up for what you believe in, it might not be the easiest route, but there are other choices. Besides, there’s an app to help.
+ if all else fails:

Featured image: ”Beneath the Surface” 48×54 Oil on Canvas Price by my current artist obsession: Katherine Fraser, availale for purchase here.

Beach Beauty, Yes You Are

Jessica Arb — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:38:04 +0000

We are approaching the time of year that every woman braces herself for mentally, physically and emotionally: bikini season.

Let me take a step back. Last week I succumbed to a video gone viral courtesy of Dove and I’m so very thankful that I did. They look at the perceptions we have of our body, our beauty and really – just how hard we are on ourselves. The result is nothing short of heartbreaking, but the message rang true for me particularly as we approach one of the most trying times of year. You can watch the short social experiment here.

Last summer, as I shopped for my seasonal swimsuit, I toyed with the idea of the trendy high-waisted bikini bottoms, a nod to the 1950s and 60s. Think old Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly glamor. As I hiked up the bottoms clear across my belly button, I noticed the cut on the leg was sky-high, and began negotiating with myself. ”I’m showing less skin, but it’s an area typically covered up, so it should be fine.” However, the negative thoughts were just too overwhelming and it was just a lot more leg than I was comfortable with. I settled for the same, boring, safe style I go with every year, just in a different color. Zzzz…

Cut to Summer of 2013 and here we are again – Marc Jacobs, Gottex and Mara Hoffman are throwing the high-rise swimsuit and sex’d up one pieces all up in my face, tempting me to give the look a real go. So, thanks to a few self-confidence boosting affirmations in the fitting room and reminders of the lessons learned from the Dove video, I am going to channel my inner starlet and rock one of these suits this summer.

See you on the beach ladies and gentleman, and remember:

You are more beautiful than you think.

Here’s a bit of past + present inspiration. My advice: wear the bottoms high on your hips and make sure it hits just above the belly button. Pair with an eensy, weensie bikini top to keep it modern while creating some contrast. Most importantly, wear with confidence, grace + an ounce of attitude.

We’ll begin with the hourglass of all hourglass figures, Marilyn Monroe:

Just frolic on a diving board in one of these:

Modcloth: Halter neck, flirty ruching, very Marilyn: One-Piece Emerald, paired with a yellow maxi skirt. Summer ready. also obsessed with Swim Upon a Star
Anthropologie: Nanette Lepore Kimono Floral number.
American Apparel: back to the scene of my 2012 summer crime where I first fell in love (but couldn’t commit) to the high-waisted bottom. Obsessed with any of these fruity numbers: Strawberries, Lemons or Lace.

Grace Kelly – just effortless.

Urban Outfitters: Mix-Match White bottoms with a floral itty bitty top.
Rose Swim: Etsy vintage find, but please don’t wear this.
ASOS: white high guys would be perfectly paired with this top.

Fine, I admit – I’m Grace obsessed.

Vintage knitted bikini + a 1995 shot by Peter Lindbergh in Harper’s Bazaar

Just for reinforcement, make sure you watch the Dove video: Real Beauty. I definitely teared up a bit. My hope is that we’re all a little nicer to ourselves (+ one another) this summer (+ always.)

half quote half affirmation

Jessica Arb — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:24:33 +0000

This half quote, half affirmation, has been part of my daily rotation of mantras after hearing it a few years ago:

“I attract all the perfect people, places, and things in to my life every day. I am always in the right place at the right time, meeting the right people.”

Now, this is not a destiny or “lucky” circumstance-laced quote. In my deck of ”life” cards, the “fate” card isn’t one of them. It really means every decision I make (whether good or bad) is mine; and, therefore, I will get out exactly what I put into friendships and relationships, both professional and personal. What about you? Do you have any quotes or mantras you live by?

For more reading:

Fuck fate + date like a grown-up – Jezebel ”“If it happens, it happens,” is not a response.
Internal and External Locus of Control Do you tend to blame failures on factors you cannot control, or do you believe you have the ability to shape events and circumstances by making the most of what you can control? It’s a positive attitude mixed with a sense of purpose and determination.

Featured image: Joe Bagley’s very steady pair of hands, made this intrique bikeriding couple using a single piece of black paper. Fun fact: Paper is the traditional first year anniversary gift for marriage, so if you or anyone you know is celebrating, check Joe’s Etsy Shop “Paper-Cuts” for hundreds of designs for a special gift.

Object of Affection: Birdcage Veils

Jessica Arb — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:21:07 +0000

My veil obsession began with the Hat Parade also known as the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

I love the decorative netting clipped to pill-box hats, covering the eyes ever so slightly. They make for the perfect concoction of mystery, girlish-goth and modern elegance. Not to mention the multi-purpose functionality; if you’re attending a wedding, funeral or a spring soiree, you’re set!

Christian Dior, Jil Sander and Maison Martin Margiela have created their variations on the runway. I’ve even found a few DIY tutorials for the Jil Sander beanie veil. I’ve been timid to try this trend for a quite sometime, but love her or hate her, Gwyneth just graced this month’s cover of Harper’s Bazaar in a Christian Dior 1960′s inspired bridal veil and I am sold.

Better yet, no bride needed.

love her or hate her, she’s confirming the trend is here to stay.

I’ve circled up a few of the most beautiful new and old, even a few shops where you call one of them your own.

Voilà:

jill sander called, she wants her veils back.

1947 vintage nail polish advertisement, just veils no nail art.

Dior + Giambattista Valli

“I’d wear the veils, I just wouldn’t want to be a woman back then.” – Kelsey Tyler.

if kate can do it, you can do it.

modern approach: Ulyana Segeenko and Noomi Repace

bianca jagger you beautiful veiled you.

A few places where you can get your own netting without walking down the aisle:

Black Russian Blush Netting: from BelledeBenior
Birdcage Veil Black: BowPosh she’s from Florida!
Purple Peacock Feather Veil in White: FeatherFunded
Flower + Veil Clip: Sunshine & Carousels

Maybe my next themed party will include masks + veils? There I said it, put it into the public forum of the internet so no one can take it.

Monday Music: Phosphorescent “Ride On/Right On”

Jessica Arb — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:46:03 +0000

Songs somehow attach themselves to certain activities in our daily lives. Whether it’s the quick beat of a drum that makes us run a little faster on the treadmill or the upbeat finger picked guitar that keeps our toes tapping through an afternoon of spring cleaning.

When I first heard Phosphorescent’s “Ride on/Right On” I immediately envisioned myself on a road-trip. Bag packed full of snacks, pit-stop recommendations and a cruising playlist. In fact, Phosphorescent’s entire new album, ‘Muchacho’ would be perfect for this currently unplanned road trip, but has totally inspired me to plan one. Lead singer, Matthew Houck, has a hearty voice with lyrics to match that when coupled with a the right trip, could get you to point A to point B in the blink of an eye.

Looks like their show is sold out in New York, but you can take a [wait for it] take a road trip to Boson, Montreal or Chicago. Full tour dates here. Phosphorescent’s new album ‘Muchacho’ is available on Rough Trade, Amazon and iTunes.

Inspired, a few resources to plan that perfect road-trip:

10 Best Road Trips in America – HuffPo and Forbes.
Map out local diners, greasy spoons + pitstops: RoadFood
Routes, plans + inspiration try: Roadtrip America and for all that is unique + quirky America, try: Roadside America.

monte carlo sounds nice.

featured image: Photo on recycled wood “Road Trip” by Patrick Lajoie, available on Etsy.