Throughout history, people have been obsessed with the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. In other words, Pi, which is the subject of David Blatner’s The Joy of Pi — a book I am currently devouring. And what better way to devour a book on Pi than with one’s very own Pi plate?

Ceramics guru Maria Neal has a knack for imbuing pottery pieces with a little quirky fun and this Pi plate certainly does not miss the mark. While there are other Pi plates out there, this one is by far the prettiest and most appealing to me, since the design is subtle enough that both math geeks and non math geeks can enjoy it.

UPDATE: The artist’s web site can be found here!

When I last wrote about organizing bookshelves, a bunch of you weighed in after voting in the poll (which is still open). Some people organize by size, others by color, others by topic or genre or author, while the rest of us just kind of stash books wherever they fit, whether that means on bookshelves or not.

As it turns out, those are by no means the only ways of organizing a bookshelf. In a recent Guardian article, Sarah Crown and John Crace put forth the idea that rearranging one’s bookshelves alphabetically is a bad mistake because alphabetization is, according to them, the most banal approach to bookshelving. They go on to suggest these alternative ways of arranging a home library.

• The literary snob

Old Penguins, heavily creased to denote re-reading, are lined up in rows of orange, black and grey. These can be bought by the yard at most secondhand bookshops, and are a very easy way of acquiring instant intellectual credibility.

• The David Cameron

Books by important members of the new Tory World Order are prominently displayed where they can be seen by everyone. Acolytes can ascertain how close to power they are by the position of their own books.

• The Jeffrey Archer

Shelf after shelf of your own book in every imaginable translation and edition – frequently in multiples of 10. Come to think of it, this applies to almost ever author I know.

• The ‘I’m desperate for a shag’, male version

Must include prominent copies of The Golden Notebook and The Second Sex and any dreary rubbish by Ian McEwan lying around to show you are in touch with your sensitive side. Best to hide any well-thumbed copies of Belle du Jour and La Vie Sexuelle by Catherine M under the bed.

• The “I’m desperate for a shag’, female version

Doesn’t really require books – it’s the last thing a man will notice. But on the off-chance you bring someone home who can read, it might be an idea temporarily to lose anything too intimidating by Andrea Dworkin. Unless you’re a lesbian, in which case you might like to put it on the coffee table.

• The kleptomaniac

Easy. You just arrange your books in accordance with the numbering system of the library from which you nicked them.

Personally, I like the sound of The Jeffrey Archer!

It’s easy to fall into that pernicious trap in which you find yourself thinking that DIY is not for you because crafting and design are talents you have to be born with and besides, you’re all thumbs and no good with a sewing machine. Yes, it helps to have a talent for putting things together to make a harmonious whole, but the truth is that anyone who can follow directions can DIY, whether that means refinishing furniture or building a coffee table using old windows.

What’s even better is that directions (or tutorials or whatever else you want to call them) abound in bookstores and online. There is absolutely no shortage of instructive material designed to help those new to DIY. I myself have benefited from many of these while learning to sew and to build furniture, as neither of these skills was practiced in my family, which is where, I’m convinced, people who appear to be “born to craft” learn these things.

If you’re keen to learn the secrets of DIY, check out some of my favorite how-to books:

• DIY: Design It Yourself
• REadyMade: How to Make Almost Everything
• Fresh Coat: Simple Painting Makeovers
• My DIY: The Stylin’ Girl’s Guide To Diy Projects
• Craftivity: 40 Projects for the DIY Lifestyle
• The Big-Ass Book of Crafts

Cheers!

When I was a wee one, I was enthralled by a book of my grandmothers that featured beautiful color photographs of underground houses. Artfully rendered, the images perked my interest. Underground houses? Who lives in an underground house, and where does one build an underground house? I’d never seen one in person… in fact, I still haven’t, but I’ve never really lost my enthusiasm for the idea.

That’s why I’m a fan of the above book. The Fifty Dollar and Up Underground House Book, written in 1981 by Mike Oehler and illustrated by Chris Royer, is a DIY manual for those interested in building their own underground houses on the cheap. When they say $50, they’re not kidding. In fact, one blogger described the book thusly:

The methods are so low tech, a bum could make himself a mansion. Other books get into engineering with concrete, steel, rebar, etc., which cost a fortune and don’t necessarily function any better and, in some cases, maybe not as well. With this book and the videos, which are a must if you get serious, you really can build a home for the cost of a roll of plastic and a few other items, provided you do the labor by hand and scrounge materials.

But be warned — the book’s author doesn’t give a lick about pesky things like building codes or safety regulations. Unless you’re planning on squatting in a plot of wilderness where it’s unlikely that the home inspector will ever find your subterranean property, the tips and hints offered in the book aren’t going to get you your $50 home. Still, it’s an interesting and fun read that shows you what could be if lawlessness ever becomes the norm.

When The Beard and I were sharing a home office way back in the day, we decided that we each needed a little privacy. The answer came in the form of a traditional folding screen. It was not a perfect solution, but it worked in the home office we had and gave us back a little of our personal space in a small apartment. Were I to design that space over again, I would replace the folding screen with an open bookcase. It would have afforded us less privacy, but it would have done something in addition to dividing up the space.

By this I mean it would have held books, which would have been extra nice because we are people with a whole lot of books. Now with a whole house to ourselves, there’s nothing to divvy up in terms of space or rooms. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t mind finding a place for this bookcase or this bookcase or even this bookcase (stacked). Even if you’re not a book person, consider using a bookcase if you’re looking to section off a bit of space for yourself. Own your spaces! You can always fill the shelves with craft supplies or knick-knacks that make you happy.

As for the bookcase in the above photograph, I have no idea why it’s listing so dangerously to the left. Perhaps it is in one of those houses on islands being eaten away by the tides?

Does this look right to you? Did I assemble my new bookshelves correctly? I kid, I kid. These crazy creations are products of the twisted minds at Studio Proxy.

The Prince of Siam is crafted from plywood, oil, and semi-transparent white varnish. As much as it looks like one, it is not an Ikea hack.

This one, however, is.

Low Waist — the brainchild of Roman LindeBaum and Rüdiger Otte — speaks to “functional and aesthetic stereotypes of modern mass production.” Or so I’m told.

I do believe that as fun as these pieces would be to have around the house, they would begin to drive me seriously crazy once I got sick of the wasted bits of space.

While actually buying a home is exciting, the whole looking-researching-looking-financing-looking-offering cycle can be a real drag. Add to that the document gathering and the meetings with people like mortgage financiers, and there’s nothing LESS exciting than buying a home. I can’t say that reading up to acquaint yourself with the ins and outs of the home buying process will make it less of a drag, but does make the whole to-do a lot less stressful! Here are the five books The Beard and I found truly helpful:

I used to hate the ‘Dummies’ book because of the implication, but Home Buying For Dummies turned out to be really useful. The fact is that the world of real estate can be overwhelming, and this book breaks it all down into easy-to-swallow chunks.

The Beard preferred the Home Buyer’s Checklist, which was fine by me. One of us had to have a list of questions to ask sellers and their reps, after all, and I was more concerned with the financial end of things.

Ditto on 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask. There’s also a corresponding book for sellers by the same author…tricky!

At my very core, I’m lazy, which is why I love any complicated how-to manual that comes with simple fill-in-the-blanks worksheets. 10 Steps to Home Ownership is more of a pre-buying book, but knowing if you’re ready to buy is an important part of buying.

I didn’t agree with everything in The 106 Common Mistakes Homebuyers Make, but I liked the commonsense, easy-to-understand way the author describes what worked for him. Fair warning: He’s a house flipper, so his advice doesn’t always apply to people who are buying a home in which to live.

If you bought or built a house and had a favorite book you relied on for guidance, tell us about it in the comments!