As is my pattern, I almost always read several, often many, books at once. I like doing this for a couple of reasons. First, most obviously, it allows me a variety of genres to choose among depending on my mood. For example, I’ve been focusing on the deep, rather heavy topics of death and grieving this year. But to keep it from being all-consuming, I’ve generally got some young adult fiction open, some kind of art book, perhaps a mystery, and often something I might consider more spiritual or philosophical in nature. But the other reason I find it interesting to do this is how often I find threads of connection between all the disparate things I’m reading. When that happens it feels like it exponentially deepens my experience, and of course, I love what I consider the “cosmic winks.”
Today I’m filing my 14th entry in the 100 Untimed Books challenge under prompt #84 – How Loud Your Heart.
The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg is the first in a series of young adult fantasy books. This story focuses on a young woman, recently graduated from magic school and about to embark on her apprenticeship with a master magician where she will bond with the material (paper) she’ll work with for the rest of her life. It’s a disappointing assignment to her, as she’d hope to work with a different material (metal), but there are so few “folders” (paper magicians) left in the world, if she wants to practice magic it’s this or nothing. Almost immediately she gets pulled into danger as her teacher is targeted by a criminal magician working with outlawed flesh magic. In a brave, entirely clueless, attempt to save him and his literally stolen heart, she embarks on a grand adventure. Part of the journey involves traveling through her teacher’s heart, into the four chambers, representing love, hope, hate, and doubt, and thus she learns a great deal about him and herself as well.
I’m not going to pretend this is great literature, but I did find it somewhat charming. It definitely appealed to the origami enthusiast in me, and I love the idea of enchanting paper. But I also liked the idea of dividing the heart into those constructs. My muse is thrilled with this idea and inspiring me with all sorts of ideas. I suspect there will be some heart art happening here at some point.
In keeping with my practice of awarding a rating based on floriography, the language of flowers, giving a hint at the plot as well as my appraisal, I offer a bouquet composed of White Lilac for youthful innocence; Larch for audacity and boldness; Crimson Polyanthus for the heart’s mystery; and Venus’s Car for fly with me.
I couldn’t resist photographing the book with some folded paper flowers. In The Paper Magician the master paper folder magician has a garden filled with paper flowers.
Speaking of flowers, one of the flowers I awarded in my floriography rating was Venus’s Car. Isn’t that a fabulous name? It’s only recently that I discovered that it’s an alternate name for what is more commonly known as Bleeding Heart. Coincidentally, with the extremely late Spring we’ve had, my Bleeding Heart plants are still in full robust bloom. I love those little beauties, along with so many of the other flowers that are considered “old-fashioned.” I planted the Bleeding Hearts in honor of my grandmother who loved them, and now they’re intricately tied to my memories of her.
I’ve loved origami since I was a child, and remember the very first “kit” of instructions and assortment of papers I received. I’ve been all about paper since I was the very littlest of kids, and my love has never diminished. While I was poking through some things on my studio desk this weekend, I came across a prototype I had been working on last year that I hadn’t quite perfected, and then, as is the way sometimes, completely forgot about. To re-discover it was quite a delight. It’s a fold within a fold that creates a little book, and I think I’ve figured out what I need to do differently to make it work. Sometimes it takes an absence to clarify things, and I think perhaps I needed all that extra time also to come with the myriad of ideas that now want to be expressed in that particular book form. There’s a lesson in that for me, and one that I have repeatedly received and repeatedly forgotten. I often fret because my timing on things never seems as linear and straight-forward as I imagine it is for others. But it almost always turns out perfectly for me if I just give myself the space to let things unfold without pushing.
There’s one more origami garden connection I want to mention. Artist Kevin Box has worked with four origami masters and created metal sculptures of paper origami structures and they’re being displayed in botanical gardens. Here’s an article with a short video interview of him talking about his work.
So there you have it – paper, hearts, flowers, folders, books and magic. Find any of those things interesting? Are you a paper lover? Prefer Bleeding Heart or Venus’s Car? Read anything interesting lately? Do tell – you know I love to hear.
Hari OM
I too have dabbled in origami on and off since teenage years; one of my favourite things to make is boxes for gifting small things. The smallest box I managed was less than a centimetre square, the largest was 12 cm… made from recycling greetings cards, thought the original pattern was with origami paper. It’s the Taurean practicality coming out! Bleeding heart is a flower my own grandmother favoured, though I never had any in my own garden.
Like you, too, I tend to have several books on the go at once! I never used to, it just developed that way in the last two or three years. At the moment there is a murder mystery, a Gita primer, a book on gulls and the two books which are informing current lessons on the teaching blog… then there are the puzzle books. I so love word and logic puzzles… YAM xx
I like making origami boxes as well Yamini, although I mostly use paper scraps from other projects. I use a modular pattern that takes 8 pieces of paper to make a base and lid, and I always feel like I’ve done a fair bit of cleanup when I’ve finished. Love your idea of the recycled cards, and working tiny too!
That’s a fun mix of books you’ve got going, and yay for puzzles. I’m a cryptic crosswords fan.
I too have several books going: the latest book club read(Less), a mindless but absorbing mystery by John Sandford and I’v finally decided to tackle Lord of the Rings. I love flowers and am getting ready to plant tomatoes. Our spring is late too!
Ah, so we’ve got a multiple books reading theme going on – how interesting.
I haven’t read Less, but for some reason I thought it’d be a good book club choice. I’m always curious about book clubs and how they choose books.
Lord of the Rings is a nice project read. I have very fond memories of that book as it was one that we read aloud, and somehow those seem particularly special to me.
Why would Venus need a car? Call me a traditionalist but I like Bleeding Heart.
I’m reading Lab Girl by Hope Jahren and enjoying it. It’s a memoir written by a botanist about her academic pursuits and her adult life. So well written. Thought provoking.
Well perhaps she needs a car because the goddess of Love and Beauty has a lot of traveling to do while spreading her message.
I read Lab Girl earlier this year and really enjoyed it as well. I thought it was a really interesting mix of memoir and tree facts that felt like they verged on poetry. It’s one of those books that I find myself thinking about at odd moments, so clearly I found it memorable.
I too, read many books at once. Right now I’m reading a book called Rosmary, the Hidden Kennedy Daughter. Also, the Grammar of God. I think you would like that one. A Jewish woman explores the language of the Bible, both old and new testaments. For novels I just read Surviving Cyril and Grief Writing. I love Bleeding Hearts. I don’t often see them any more.
I’ll check it your recommendation Heather – thanks. I make myself laugh though. My goal is to read 100 books this year, and while I’m a little behind on target at this point, it’s still a viable possibility. But I’ve got several hundreds of books on my to-read list and added more during April’s A-to-Z. I think the only solution is to learn sleep reading. 🙂
Hi Deborah – I try and read one at a time … otherwise I lose myself – particularly if I’m studying it too – perhaps research for the blog, or remembering to take notes re the book club. Lovely names for plants – the car is a great alternative, just not terribly appropriate … bleeding hearts is better! Cheers Hilary
I can see that Hilary. I think you’re really a researcher at heart and that requires a specialized way of working indeed. Your posts clearly show that!
I think bleeding hearts is perfect as well, but I’m always fascinated by the variety of common names flowers acquire.
We used to have a Bleeding Heart in my Mum’s garden. I don’t know if whoever lives in that house now still tends it. I hadn’t thought about for years until I saw your picture here.
The Paper Magician sounds like a book I would enjoy. Thanks for the pointer
Bleeding Hearts are quite low-maintenance and can thrive for quite a long while, so perhaps that plant is still around blooming and adding some heart beauty to the world.
I love to hear what you think of The Paper Magician if you read it. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
I normally read in a very linear fashion but this has made me think about reading a few different books at once. I never thought of all the connections you might find between them. The Paper Magician sounds really interesting. I love your unique rating system! And planting Bleeding Hearts is such a beautiful way to remember your grandmother. I don’t have much talent for origami but I admire people who can do it.
I’m always a bit surprised, but always delighted, at what interesting connections can be found. It might be fun to give it a try Tizzy. I’d love to hear what you think.