By Lisa Van Orman Hadley

I love books. I have been known to give up eating lunch in order to buy a book and that’s saying a lot because the other thing I love is food. My books are like old friends—we’ve been together for a long time, I hang out with them a lot, we never get sick of each other, and I have no intention of ever getting rid of them.

But there are books on my shelf that I read once and never picked up again. Or the ones I never got around to reading at all and probably never will. Or the bestseller that was a sweet gift but just isn’t my cup of tea.

Meanwhile, somewhere out there, there’s someone who would love to have those books I’ve been neglecting.

Say hello to BookMooch. BookMooch recycles your books by giving them to the people who want them and you, in turn, get to pick up new reads from your fellow moochers. Here’s how it works: You sign up at BookMooch.com and list the books you’re willing to give away. Other moochers send requests for your books and you send them off to their new loving homes (you pay for shipping). You get points for every book you send. Then you search the database for the books you want and use your points to “buy” new reads from your moocher friends (they pay for shipping).

Everyone wins: Your old books find new, loving homes and then you have room on your bookshelf for your next BFF. (Book Friends Forever.)

{Exchanging Words}

www.bookmooch.com

Let’s face it. We all have body issues. We feel too short or too tall, we think our nose is too long or too snub, we fear we look fat in those jeans. Well, the bald-headed elephant is no exception. This self-conscious pachyderm agonizes over his gleaming pate. Lucky for Mr. Elephant, he has a dear friend who won’t let his insecurities get the best of him.

In this endearing children’s book by local Wooley Cottswold, Rose tries to help Mr. Elephant past his self-consciousness by showing him all the wonderful things she sees in him. We all need a friend like Rose: someone to bring us up when we’re down—and talk us down from getting a toupee. A self-proclaimed doodler, Cottswold brings an unexpected freshness and whimsy to his illustrations, which makes the book all the more charming.

“Rose and the Bald-Headed Elephant” is available locally at Hip & Humble, The King’s English, Babinski’s Baby, The Children’s Hour and Frost’s Books, and a reading is slated for September 12 at The King’s English.

{Doorprize} Check out this book, on the house. Want your kiddo to make friends with Rose and her Elephant? Leave just one comment on this post before midnight tonight, August 12.

If you’ve called SLC home long enough, chances are you have some degree of an attachment to the Children’s Hour. We’re pulled to it like a couple of shop-hungry moths to the flame. It’s probably their European-inspired shoes. Or owner Diane’s book recommendations. Or the collection of doodads made by locals like ourselves. Its proximity to Maza doesn’t hurt, and neither do the frequency of sidewalk sales.

Three parts boutique (women’s, children’s and gift) and another part children’s bookstore, the Children’s Hour is the kind of place that, if threatened, we’d gladly put on our fight faces for. It’s one of Salt Lake’s gems, offering locals some hand-holding in terms of style forecasting, but warm enough to make you feel at home. Plus, it’s pretty much as cute as it gets.

In case you don’t already know what it’s like, step into the new location at the northwest corner of 900 East and 900 South. The new spot showcases the inventory better than ever—now you’ll notice all the Cath Kidston linens, ceramic tea cups and designer women’s lines from Converse. Even if you’re not up to dish out $125 on a Free People blouse or $60 on a Room Seven frock for your little one, it’s likely that you’ll walk out with a piece of jewelry, a case for your glasses or a good-looking wallet. Maybe even a lunch pail.

It may be called the Children’s Hour, but there’s plenty of time for you, too. Come here next time you’re in need of a stylish sundress for your cousin’s wedding or some killer satin heels. They’re just the kind of thing you’ll want to step out in.

{Time for Local Shopping}

The Children’s Hour
898 S. 900 East
Salt Lake City, Utah
(801) 359-4150
www.childrenshourbookstore.com

Spotted: Reproductions of M. Sasek’s classics “This is New York,” “This is Venice,” and “This is London”

Good For: Reading, admiring, sharing, gifting, loving

Where: Flower Basket Boutique (409 N. University Avenue, Provo)

How Much: About $18 apiece

Ever wondered what’s going to happen to your blog on that ill-fated day when the Internet (or Google’s server) crashes and burns? And all your rambling thoughts, family photos, magazine inspiration and best Internet finds get flushed down the drain?

It’s more than likely that neither will happen, but there is a certain sense of ease that comes with having a “hard copy” of something. Especially if it’s your online journal. That’s where Blurb comes in. Blurb’s software (which you can download right here, right now) is making the hard-copy route not only more settling, but also much more appealing. And with the help of Blurb’s publishing services, you can print your blog in book form, to be tucked away in keepsake boxes, cedar chests, book shelves and coffee tables. Or maybe even sold at bookstores.

First, you download Blurb’s BookSmart software. Then you choose the kind of book you would like to make. Next, add your text and photos—even your comments—and you’re done. You’ve got 440 pages to work with.

Check out all your options here.

Check out pricing here.

See what others have done here.

Cool, huh?

As the weather takes a turn for the wetter, we thought it might be time to introduce some bookworm-friendly material. First, we’re excited about this revolutionary bookmark Maeve thought up: Print out this cute and functional Your Heart Out magnetic bookmark, and never lose track of your page number again. It’s practically life-changing. Just be sure to print it out on cardstock, and follow the (easy) directions. Click here to download.

As for books, We think it’s safe to say that if you like Dave Eggers, you will love Jonathan Safran Foer. You’ve got to be up for a broken heart, though—the kind that’s more tender and tragic than Staggering Genius will throw at you.

Foer delivered his first National Jewish Book Award- and Guardian First Book Award-winning novel at the ripe old age of 25. Called Everything is Illuminated, it’s the story of a 20-something New York writer looking to retrace his Jewish roots in the Ukraine. Along the way, sad and ancient histories unfold, though heartwarming and hilarious friendships give birth.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is Foer’s second novel, released in 2005. Though his first work is nothing short of brilliant, the follow-up is a little less intense and a little more accessible. This is perhaps because of its main character: nine-year-old Oskar, who has a larger-than-life imagination (the kind you wish you still had), a thing for French idioms, and who also lost his father in the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. Oskar’s on a mission through New York’s boroughs to track down the one and only key that will unlock a mysterious box left behind by his dad. He thinks it’s all he has left.

In the jacket, Oskar is also described as an “inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler and pacifist.” If you’re interest still hasn’t sparked, Cynthia Ozick’s review goes as follows:

“Is there a novel that, in a fit of envy, Holden Caulfield, Huck Finn, Harriet the Spy, and Krazy Kat—all of the above—might long to enter? And would feel at home in? Yes! Jonathan Safran Foer’s funny, tender, tragic, ingeniously imaginative Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has all the kick and brio of a child’s wild vision and a child’s wild hurt. Foer’s nine-year-old Oskar Schell, confronting the cataclysm of our time, is an American original.”

Oskar is funny in that smart-but-naive little kid kind of way, and throughout your reading, you’ll find yourself wishing he would realize so you could give him a big hug, or at least have him recount the story of his first and last jujitsu class for you, in person.

You’ll see that Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is dedicated to “Nicole, [Foer's] idea of beautiful.” Nicole is more commonly known as Nicole Krauss, also an author who penned an equally amazing and in-the-same-vein novel called The History of Love.

Ali has a signed copy of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close that you will never see for sale on eBay.

To see what else Foer has been up to, check out this link and this site.