CHRISTMAS TIME

This year there is an amazing window display at Rainy Day Books where only used recycled pages and books have been used to make decorations.

There were no useful books harmed in the making of the display, just Reader’s Digest condensed books and some old music scores that had fallen apart.

A huge 1.2 metre Christmas tree, small trees and also chains of hearts, birds and stars are all made from paper.

Christmastime, that season of excess, over packaging and waste.

Why not try second hand books as a present and use the purest form of recycling that there is.

No changes needed to the books that I stock, they go out of the shop in the same form as they come into it.

Come in and look at the window and I will help you find the perfect gift for the most difficult people on your shopping list.

Thanks for your support during this year and I wish you a healthy, holy and happy Christmas and all the best for 2015.

Happy reading

Meryll

MOUNTAINS OF BOOKS

It's that time of the year again.  Melbourne Cup Weekend.   So much going on that it's hard to decide what to go to, and where to visit.

Here's a suggestion for book lovers everywhere.   Get your maps out and plan a visit to Ferny Creek in the Dandenongs.   It's less than an hour east of the CBD.   It's beautiful up here at this tme of the year (in fact it's always beautiful!) and there is so much to do, should you decide to spend the entire weekend in this part of the world.  There are restaurants to drool over and opportunities for great photos around every bend.

Meryll from Rainy Day Books has been busy arranging the Mountains of Books Bookfair at Ferny Creek Recreation Hall opposite the Sherbrooke Forest.  There is ample parking wth playground and picnic facilities on the site.   Free entry, and there's wheelchair access.   Great food is planned for this year's event.

There's be book covering demonstrations and workshops on Saturday (bookings essential by ringing Meryll at 9762 0862) for using recycled books as Christmas Decorations.  

Don't miss out.   Make sure you have a carton or two in the car ready to collect your special book "finds".   There'll be plenty to choose from amongst the thousands of used and out-of-print titles, including an eclectic range of fiction and non-fiction titles and collectibles in genres such as children's books, cookery, art, fashion, Australiana, gardening and militaria.

PATCHWORK, NEEDLEWORK, QUILTING, SEWING

Rainy Day Books has gone "patchy" this week, the new spring window combines flowers and patchwork.

There are some lovely books of quilting patterns and lots of instructions for special patchwork items, including patterns for some lovely crazy quilting Christmas stockings in silk and velvet.

Don’t miss seeing the antique sewing basket and Singer sewing box and also the very cute soft flop eared bunny. Rabbits seem to be developing into a secret theme as they have crept into the last 3 displays.

This age old form of the gentle art of needlework has had a resurgence of interest as projects can be as large or as portable as you can manage and over summer it is a peaceful occupation during the very hot days we have coming.

The Basin Community House has a patchwork/quilting group as do many other community groups.

Meryll has a special pattern put aside for her retirement of a wall hanging of a bookcase full of books and has been collecting fabrics that look like book spines for ages in anticipation of enjoying this project when she has the time. She finally found the wood patterned fabric for the shelves but book spines are hard to match.

Happy sewing!!!

SPRING HAS ARRIVED!

Spring has sprung

The grass is ris

I wonder where

The birdies is.

They are in the window at Rainy Day Books this week. 

A lovely Spring themed display with many books on Australian birds and particularly a new local bird watching book.

Birds of the Yarra catchment and where to find them - Peter Mason and Bird Observation and Conservation Australia $22

There is also a lovely found nest there that I would like to know the name of the bird that makes it, so if yu are a keen twitcher do call in and see if you know it.

Rainy Day Books has a great fondness for birds and every Spring a welcome swallow comes back to nest in the small brick toilet at the back of the shop.  A very clever mother bird has worked out that it is warmer but also a lot safer as the crows cannot get through the small gap in the fence.  She has a nest right near the ceiling on top of a brick column and when the chicks get too big for the nest she sits them along the top of the open door, and as she returns from her food gathering you can hear the crescendo of cheeps in the shop, even through the closed back door of the shop.

UP, UP and AWAY!!!

Well this month we are off to outer space at Rainy Day Books.

The window is stunning with silver and black and some lovely bright blue star lights but the books are really interesting.

Reader’s Digest book – "The way to the stars" covers the history of space exploration.

"Who’s who in space" by Michael Cassutt names all the astronauts, pilots and cosmonauts that participated until 1999 with biographies included.

A really interesting small book by Jeff Toghill is called Celestial navigation and this includes sextants and chronometers, estimating positions and tables.

These books would make great Father’s Day gifts and also at the moment there is a new book out by local railway historian, Nick Anchen. This is called Life on the Victorian railways and gives a fascinating insight into the day to day life of men working on the Victorian lines from early days until electrification. $50

IT'S RAINBOWS ALL THE WAY AT RAINY DAY BOOKS THIS WEEK

The window has a colourful display of alternative education books including Steiner and Montessori with books on Buddhism and meditation for children as well.

Steiner education is designed to be a health-giving education, nurturing and balancing the human faculties of thinking, feeling and will.

The prime purpose of Steiner rducation is to support and educate children such that their own innate and unique human qualities may come to greater fulfillment.  Rgus us the task of the educator in each Steiner school.

The Montessori approach fosters children's love of learning and encourages independence by providing an environment of activities and materials which children use at their own pace.  This builds self-confidence, inner discipline, a sense of self-wortj and instils positive social behaviour.  The approach forms the basis for likelong learning.

STACKS of BOOKS

This week at Rainy Day books there are stacks and stacks and stacks of books in the window.

Save on a stack is the theme and you can get 6 books for the price of one. They are sorted into themes or authors and will give you lots of reading to snuggle up with on these cold days.

Wilbur Smith, Dick Frances, Virginia Andrews, Clive Cussler, Joanna Trollope are just some of the authors and they are displayed on amazing vertical bookcases.

 

ARABIAN NIGHTS and ALADDIN'S CAVE

We all need a bit of fantasy and there’s nothing better, as the nights begin to close in, to get tucked up in your favourite chair and read a book, or two, or three.

There are many books that never date - they are as fresh as when they were written.  Any of the Arabian Nights books continue to delight, not only for those who have read the books in the past, but new and younger readers eager to experience the same fascination.

It’s all here at Rainy Day Books.   The present window display gives some idea of the many books that fit into this particular style of fantasy.   Visit soon, choose your own as well as a gift for someone you care about.