Reliving my Childhood

I have recently stumbled across the fab livejournal of cartoon artist Lucy Kinsley and her wonderful versions of the Harry Potter books.

How awesome are they? Only the first 4 are up there right now, and I think only the first 3 are available to buy as posters. Can't wait to see them all!

Yes, I am a Harry Potter nerd. Not to extremes, but those books came out when I was exactly the right age for them and will always be a bit special. I can remember being younger than Harry, exactly the same age for a couple of years, and then older. And, of course, I doubt I'll ever get to experience queuing for books at midnight or avoiding the internet for fear of spoilers again...sad times.

Kindlicious

Look what was waiting for me when I got home this afternoon!

This is technically a birthday present, since I used my birthday money to order it back in November. The idea being, of course, that I would have it to take with me on the plane to the US. But with snow and everything, that didn't happen.

It was a nice present for when I got home instead! I'd already downloaded a bunch of free books, including Blood, Sweat and Tea and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, so they appeared as soon as I turned it on. And it is pretty. So pretty. And tiny - my case for it won't arrive until even later, so I was pleased to fine it does fit in a fluffy sock for the time being. Very useful for commuting, and for trips, and for the next time I am on a plane. And there are birdies on it at the moment - bonus.

We made it back without incident, though, despite check-in staff in Memphis not knowing what they are doing (not that I blame them, given that the system seems completely nonsensical).

There is the worst bit of bluescreening going on in Eastenders right now. Or something equally as fake looking. I can't look away. I don't even watch Eastenders, but it's like a train crash.

The Thing about Maps

I thought it was time to include something not completely centred on photography here, and to start with it's maps.

I have a thing for maps. If I read anything informative, or watch a TV documentary, or visit an exhibition or gallery, you can guarantee I'll look for the map. I've been known to scoff when there is no map in a place clearly made for one, and fawn over the particularly useful, appropriate or, I must say, pretty.

If you're the same as me, and like a good map, you must check out the BBC documentary 'The Incredible Human Journey', presented by Alice Roberts and covering the expansion of mankind across the globe. Very nice use of maps. Good maps.

I don't know what it is. Boyfriend rolls his eyes. There's just something about a good map that makes it all so much clearer and more meaningful for me. I've always been a very visual/spatial learner, so that probably plays a part.

Another fantastic find for anyone who enjoys a good bit of anthropological fiction is this fabulous fansite for Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series. The books themselves do include some basic maps, but the ones developed by fans (partially based on fact, with a necessary degree of poetic license) and shown on this website are so incredibly helpful to me in following the narrative.

You should not read those books without acquainting yourself with that site. It would be wrong.

And lastly, to turn this around to the historical rather than the anthropological, I need to mention Maps of War. The representation of the spread of major world faiths is my personal favourite.

Maps. Glorious things.