Though I’m a Lonely Planet girl at heart, I’m captivated by these travel guides. Created by IDEO, a renowned innovation and design firm, these books are created to put the "see" back in sightseeing. From a crisp photo of neon sign outside of a building to the conversational description of the surrounding culture, travelers are encouraged to take in the little things and truly absorb their environment. Right now, there are guides for NYC and London, and more cities are expected to come soon.

I am seriously depressed at the idea of a world without Polaroid.  My world relys heavily on the insta camera wonders and has been forever changed. Stylists lay out and record their looks that they have composed before a shoot, they act as proof of transaction for thousands of sample returns everyday, and no one can better deliver joy to a weary intern than a fresh Polaroid taken of them in some crazy little Philip Tracey hat.  It truly is a sad time.  So if you too are a fan keep your eyes peeled for any remaining cartridges that are floating around, seize every opportunity to take last grainy gorgeous pic, and add The Polaroid Book to your library so that you may savor the art of instant photography for years.

I could say words like "dazzling prose" and "imaginitive complexity" to describe this latest novel, The Enchantress of Florence, by Salman Rushdie. Instead I'll just say this: It's a sensual and mysterious fairy tale set in the 16th century that will have you turning the pages so fast you get papercuts. Featuring powerful emperors, Florentine orphans who rise to greatness, and mysterious dark-eyed beauties who have power over men that I can only dream about. This is one book that's sure to make for a great summer read. See...isn't that better than talking about prose?

A confessed magazine whore, I was dumbfounded that I missed last season's debut issue of the revival vintage title Look. It seems that New York Magazine will be publishing a gorgeous semi annual glossy (I spotted the stunning Fall 08 cover of Freja and Jessica from across an airport terminal) covering Fashion Week with some great industry forecasts, heavy hitter interviews, and of course plenty of behind the scenes scoop. Recently released, it's a fantastic refresher course on the shows you watched in February. 

If you loved Jhumpa Lahiri's beautiful writing and storytelling in The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies, you'll love this collection of stories, which, like her other stories, explore the cultural divide between Indian parents and their American-born children. Lahiri didn't win the Pulitzer for nothing. Her writing is truly sublime, and with emotional stories that draw you in and keep you thinking long afterwards, this book does not disappoint.