My bibliomania is on high when a book fair is nearing and I usually do some "warm up" trips to local bookstores to get in the mood for the great hunt. The results from my favorite used books stores here in San Francisco--Green Apple Books, SF Public Library's Reader's Book Store at Fort Mason and... Continue Reading →
On a warm February night in San Francisco the streets teemed with people, stressed looking salary men and women with their jaws clenched tight, raving lunatics with pants hanging just a little too south of the equator, and a distinct crowd of sharply dressed, hat wearing people. These haberdashery fans were my people, and they... Continue Reading →
On this cold and grey day here in SF, I would like to share one of my favorite poems with you. Thanks for reading, Empress Norma
I'm a book person. I am surrounded by books and book related businesses. This has led me to become a casual collector of antiquarian books. Casual meaning I am not seeking to aquire every book in my chosen subjects. I buy a book when I come across one that I want and can afford. So... Continue Reading →
We're having our own personal San Francisco Noir film festival in our house as a warm up to the real noir festival coming soon, and found Portrait in Black on Youtube. We thought we had found the wrong movie because it was in color. Film noir in color (and with Sandra Dee in it)? Some people... Continue Reading →
Ah, the holidays are over, no more false cheer and shiny baubles, life is back to "noirmal." Instead of glad rags and magpie trinkets, I got this great book: San Francisco Noir by Nathaniel Rich. Published in 2005 by The Little Bookworm, New York. More about the book. There are over 40 movies to choose from in... Continue Reading →
Can you believe it's almost fall? Another season has drifted by, one day flowing into another without much notice, until you start hearing people talk about Christmas gifts and how to Hygge this year. Is Hygge-ing still in? Or is there a new trend? It disturbs me a little bit that time flies by so... Continue Reading →
There's an event here in San Francisco each year that makes my heart race. It's the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library Big Book Sale. SFPL Big Book Sale There are over 500,000 donated books and media for sale and all proceeds go to the San Francisco Public Library. All items are priced from $1-$3.... Continue Reading →
Empress Norma of San Francisco 