What's in Your Bag? (September 29)

What's in your bag today?  Anyone can play along!  Here are the rules:

1.  Grab your bag AND your current read.  If you are using an eReader, phone, or computer that goes with you in your bag, make sure to include it!
2.  Take a picture (or pictures) of the contents & bag, including your current read.  It can be a picture where you just dump everything out of the bag and snap a pic, or you can neatly arrange everything.  Your choice!  For some ideas on pictures check out the What's in your bag? Flickr group.
3.  Tell us what you are carrying in your bag in your post. You can label the picture or just describe it.
4.  Tell us a little about your current read...title, author, how much you've read, a short review so far, some quotes, etc.
5.  POST A COMMENT with either the link to your own "What's in Your Bag?" post, or share a link to the bag's picture (if you don’t have a blog).


I've swapped bags quite a bit these past few weeks, but I've settled into my favorite bag for a while.  I'm starting to carry my Roots Small School Bag as my main bag.  It's big and can hold quite a bit, so I opted to use it for a while.  Below is my "What's in Your Bag?" picture for this week.

Roots Small School Bag, Coach Wallet, Vera Bradley pen case, Brighton Sunglasses, Clinique mirror/brush, The New Yorker from Sept. 27 I think, 31 gifts i.d. holder, Vera Bradley pouch holding my iPod nano, Rosary & St. Michael Chaplet cases, headphones, Brighton tape measure, change purse, iPod classic, Moleskine notebook, lipstick, Tide pen, Reusable shopping bag, Splenda tablets, To Kill a Mockingbird, Keys, Moleskine planner, Luna bar

As you can see, this bag fits quite a bit.  As for my current reads, I am reading several books, but I've been working dilligently on To Kill a Mockingbird since it is Banned Books Week 2010.  I've read Mockingbird before while in high school and one or two times after, but I am really liking it much better this time around.  I'm only on Chapter 5, but I'm really enjoying it.  To make a small mention of The New Yorker magazine, I have actually not read the articles yet!  Sad, I know, but I'll get to them eventually!  


Leave a comment with your own "What's in your bag" post!

What's in Your Bag? (August 3)

What's in your bag today?  Anyone can play along with "What's in your bag?"; here's what you do:


1.  Grab your bag AND your current read.  If you are using an eReader, phone, or computer that goes with you in your bag, make sure to include it and tell us!
2.  Take a picture (or pictures) of the contents, including your current read.  It can be a picture where you just dump everything out of the bag and snap a pic, or you can neatly arrange everything.  Your choice!  For some ideas on pictures check out the What's in your bag? Flickr group.
3.  Tell us what you are carrying in your bag in your post. You can label the picture or just describe it.
4.  Tell us a little about your current read...title, author, how much you've read, a short review so far, some quotes, etc.
5.  POST A COMMENT with either the link to your own "What's in Your Bag?" post, or share a link to the bag's picture (if you don’t have a blog).

Actually, what is in my bag today is exactly what was in it yesterday since I didn't go anywhere today.  I've been going back and forth to work, which requires me to carry my laptop, so my Roots Small School Bag works best for that.  I've got my wallet, germX, iPod, Moleskine planner, MacBook Pro, keys, and my current "read".  Don't see a book, you say?  That's right!  My current "read" for today was actually my paperwork for school so I can work on my syllabus and such.  I didn't get a chance to read a book or magazine today, but that should be changing in a couple of days when school stuff is done.

So, What's in YOUR bag today?

Project 365-Days 1 & 2

In addition to reading books, I love taking photos.  Although I'm not a professional photographer by any stretch of the imagination, I thought doing a Project 365 would be pretty nifty, so I decided to do it.  I thought that some of my followers and readers might enjoy seeing one, too, which is why I'm adding it to my blog.  In addition to putting it on here, you can also see my photos at the following places:

• 365Project.com
• Facebook Album

Since I didn't get a chance to upload photos yesterday of Day 1, I'm combining today's post using Day 1 & Day 2.

Here we go...

Day 1:  Impromptu photo shoot of Sophie, my Yorkie.  I decided to snap some photos of my adorable Yorkie, Sophie Belle.  This is one of the results.  Taken with a Kodak EasyShare Z1012 IS.

Day 2: Most of you know I LOVE the "What's In Your Bag?" stuff, so there will be plenty of these in there.  I'll try to make them different than the What's In Your Bag? Tuesday posts.  Today I carried my Roots Small School Bag since I needed my computer, and I really didn't want to carry my big hobo bag.  This was taken with my iPhone 4 using the Hipstamatic app. 

I hope I can stick with this because I think it will be really cool to look back in a year and see what was going on in my life.  I hope you all enjoy it, too!

What's in Your Bag? (July 27)

What's in your bag today?  

Anyone can play along with "What's in your bag?"; here's what you do:


1.  Grab your bag AND your current read.  If you are using an eReader, phone, or computer that goes with you in your bag, make sure to include it and tell us!
2.  Take a picture (or pictures) of the contents, including your current read.  It can be a picture where you just dump everything out of the bag and snap a pic, or you can neatly arrange everything.  Your choice!  For some ideas on pictures check out the What's in your bag? Flickr group.
3.  Tell us what you are carrying in your bag in your post. You can label the picture or just describe it.
4.  Tell us a little about your current read...title, author, how much you've read, a short review so far, some quotes, etc.
5.  POST A COMMENT with either the link to your own "What's in Your Bag?" post, or share a link to the bag's picture (if you don’t have a blog).

You can see I was only taking the minimal stuff with me today.  I had to go to work to clean up my classroom, and I wanted to work on my syllabus, etc. so I needed my computer.  So, I carried my Roots Small School Bag. In the bag I carried my 13" MacBook Pro in its Incase sleeve, the charger for my MBP, some GermX, my Vera Bradley pencil case with pens, keys with my hand painted U of Florida keychain with my initial (Go Gators!), my Moleskine planner, some receipts from Starbucks & a local pizza parlor, my iPhone 4 & iPod, and some paperwork for school.  Instead of carrying my big Coach wallet, I decided to carry my 31 Gifts i.d. holder.  Worked great!  

I'm going to bet that you think something is missing from this picture...something like my current book I'm reading, right?  Nope, it's there!  Since my bag was a bit crammed today, I have Emma, which is what I'm currently reading, loaded on iBooks on my iPhone.  I don't normally like to read on my phone, but I knew I'd kick myself if I got the chance but didn't have my book with me, so this was the solution.  I'm about half way through with Emma, and I just can't seem to get into it like I normally do with Austen.  I'm going to keep trying, though!

So, what's in your bag today?

What's in Your Bag?

What's in your bag today?  This is the first "What's in your bag?" post!  I'm doing this quite late so the post will be on Wednesday instead of Tuesday, but it will be on Tuesdays normally.

Anyone can play along with "What's in your bag?"; here's what you do:


1.  Grab your bag AND your current read.
2.  Take a picture (or pictures) of the contents, including your current read.  It can be a picture where you just dump everything out of the bag and snap a pic, or you can neatly arrange everything.  Your choice!  For some ideas on pictures check out the What's in your bag? Flickr group.
3.  Tell us what you are carrying in your bag in your post. You can label the picture or just describe it.
4.  Tell us a little about your current read...title, author, how much you've read, a short review so far, some quotes, etc.
5.  POST A COMMENT with either the link to your own "What's in Your Bag?" post, or share a link to the bag's picture (if you don’t have a blog).

This week I've been a busy blogger!  I've been out of town one day already, and I have to go out of town again today, so I have been carrying more than the normal things in my bag.

So, what's in my bag?  On the left, the panda bag was a bag I've had since college (hence, my sorority letters on it) and I use it to hold all the little stuff under it--Tide pen, GermX, gum, almonds, candy, Clinique mirror.  My bag is a Roots Canada Large Hobo in Vintage Prince Leather; on top of it you can see my iPhone 4, receipt from Starbucks, calorie counter book, mini-Moleskine, Coach wallet & Brighton change purse, and my bag hook from Glassworks in Louisville.  On the right, I've got my Moleskine planner & another mini-Moleskine, rosary & St. Michael chaplet, Coach keychain/id holder, iPod classic, Vera Bradley pouch with my iPod nano & thumb drive, Brighton tape measure (more handy than you think!), Splenda tablets for when I go somewhere that only has sugar & sweet-n-low, Vera Bradley pen/pencil pouch with lots of pens, and my keys with various membership cards, etc. attached.  Today was a minimal day, actually!

The book I'm currently carrying with me is 1984 by George Orwell.  My 10th grade students are reading this for their summer reading, so I'm rereading it, too.  It is still as good as I remember!  For a teaser from 1984, see this week's "Teaser Tuesday" post.

I hope you enjoyed my version of the strange, but curiously addictive, "What's in your bag?" phenomena.  Let's see yours!

Introducing...What's in Your Bag?

This is a new weekly post I'm going to start on my blog, and I hope it will pick up on other blogs, too.  I know that a lot of book lovers, readers, and lots of other people carry purses, handbags, "man" bags, whatever you want to call them, and I know that you all, like me, carry books with you in those great bags. While browsing the 'net, I've also discovered that the "What's in your bag?" phenomenon is quite popular.  From flickr albums and groups to Facebook, people are constantly posting the odd, nifty, and strange contents of their bags.  The flickr group alone has over 18,000 members!  I guess we are all nosy people, but I will say that looking at the pictures, I've gotten lots of ideas of things I should be carrying in my bag.  I've not yet found one that deals with books, so here's what this post is about.  In addition to Teaser Tuesdays, I am going to post each week on Tuesday a "What's in Your Bag?" post.  If you'd like to join me, here's what you need to do:

1.  Grab your bag AND your current read.
2.  Take a picture (or pictures) of the contents, including your current read.  It can be a picture where you just dump everything out of the bag and snap a pic, or you can neatly arrange everything.  Your choice!  For some ideas on pictures check out the What's in your bag? Flickr group.
3.  Tell us what you are carrying in your bag in your post. You can label the picture or just describe it.
4.  Tell us a little about your current read...title, author, how much you've read, a short review so far, some quotes, etc.  
5.  POST A COMMENT with either the link to your own "What's in Your Bag?" post, or share a link to the bag's picture (if you don’t have a blog).


Yeah, it's a strange sort of post, but we bookish people can be a bit quirky sometimes!  :)  Hopefully, you won't think it's too strange and enjoy talking bags and books!


In the next post, you'll see the first "What's in Your Bag?" post from Coffee & Literature!

Roots Large Hobo in Vintage Prince Leather

Bags are something most book lovers carry, I would assume, and I am always looking for ones that will fit all my necessities, including books.  I previously reviewed the Roots Small School Bag, that would be great for any book lover that carries lots of stuff.  A week ago I ordered the Roots Large Hobo Bag in Vintage Prince Tan Leather.  I received it today, which is pretty fast shipping from Canada to Tennessee, and I thought I'd post a review here for all you book & bag lovers out there.  First of all let me say that Roots has VERY high quality, yet affordable (as far as good, high quality, brand bags go), bags offered--the Large Hobo is $248.00 and the Small School Bag was $278.00.  Compared to bags of similar quality that I own, such as Louis Vuitton (coated canvas purses start around $800 and leather can be over $2,000) and Coach ($200-$300 for canvas/cloth and $300-$500 for leather), these are a great value and just as good of a quality bag!  Both the Tribe Leather & Prince Leather that I have seen and touched are soft and sturdy at the same time.  They are perfect for bags that you want to feel as if you have used them for years.  Now, on to the Hobo bag...

I was looking for a large purse that could carry virtually everything.  I have found it.  This bag will hold all of my necessities plus more.  You can see in the picture that I carry a LOT of things.  I have a wallet, cosmetic bag, pen bag, sunglasses in a hard case, two Moleskines, iPod, iPhone, keys, and other miscellaneous items totally roughly 25 items. After I put these in my bag, I could still fit more in there.  I'd estimate that a book (or eReader) and even possibly my 13" MacBook Pro could fit in there if I organized things in a few more pouches.  So it is perfect for my needs!

So, what does this awesome bag look like without my essentials crowding over it?  Here it is--a beautiful tan leather that will work with any color outfit, just in case you were wondering.  I never was a big fan of tan leather since I mostly carry black purses & bags, but after much urging from my husband who has as much fashion sense as any editor of Vogue, to be honest, I succumbed and bought one.  I have to say I LOVE the tan/saddle leather.  It looks great with any color!

You can see that the handle drop is short so the bag can be carried close to you, but it is also adjustable to a longer length, although it seems to only adjust to two lengths (Roots, if you see this, is there more than 2 lengths to adjust it to?  If so, please show me how!)  You can also see that the stitching on the bag is simply gorgeous.

It has a small side pocket on the outside for quick access to essential things, such as keys or a cell phone.  In fact, I could fit my iPhone 4 perfectly in the side pocket, so I will be keeping it in there and I'll be keeping my keys inside one of the interior slip pockets which is where I used to keep my phone in other purses that didn't have outside pockets.  Now for the rest of the bag...

The interior is very roomy, containing two open slip pockets, which will hold my iPod & keys, and a large zipper pocket, which will hold my bag hook/holder and Splenda tablets.

So, what is my final ruling on the Roots Large Hobo in Vintage Prince Leather...again, an A for Roots Canada!  They have yet to disappoint in there products that I've ordered.  I can say that I will definitely be ordering more products from Roots, and I highly recommend them to, others as well.

Thank you, Roots Canada!

Imagine my surprise when I was browsing the Roots Canada blog, Roots Buzz, and I found they had posted my review of the Roots Small School Bag!  Being a new blogger, it is always nice to be recognized.  Although I haven't received any blogging rewards and even thought I don't have that many followers, I was pleased to see that my blog does reach somebody!  So, thank you, Roots Canada, for taking notice!  For others who read my blog, if you are looking for a great quality bag or clothes and whether you are a man or woman, check out Roots Canada.  I'm actually purchasing another bag from theum later this week, and I think it will be a bag that lots of women would enjoy, so stay tuned for my review of it.  And again, thank you to Roots Buzz for posting my review!

You can read the review on Roots Buzz here:  Roots Small Leather School Bag Receives a Great Review!

Roots Small School Bag

I wasn't planning on posting again today, but I wanted to do a review of the Roots Canada Small School Bag.  I found this bag in sort of an odd way.  I tend to watch TV shows, movies, and read magazines to see what the latest "thing" is in fashion and accessories.  To my surprise I found that cross-body and messenger bags are back in style for men and women, thus my search for one began.  I wanted one that could be practical for everyday as well as for work.  Being a teacher, I needed a good quality bag.  Last year, I broke two bags toting them back and forth to school.  This year, I will be teaching at a small private school, so I'll have less papers and books to take back and forth, BUT i do have to take my computer to work and back home.  So I knew I wanted something that looked good (in case I wanted to stop by Starbucks or the bookstore on my way home) and something practical and sturdy.  I looked at a Coach bag, some bags on eBags, and eBay, too, but nothing really caught my fancy.  But...while on vacation in Florida, my husband and I saw the movie Letters to Juliet.  In the movie, Sophie (played by Amanda Seyfried) carried a really cute leather messenger bag (see the picture at the top).  With Google as my friend, I quickly searched "bag in letters to juliet" and found that there were lots of women looking for the same thing that I had been searching for.  I finally found out that it was a Roots Canada Small School Bag by seeing a post on their official blog, Roots Buzz.  The bag was not cheap ($278), but I found out what good quality Roots bags were, so I thought it would be a good investment.  Although it was a bit hard to get the bag due to the popularity of it since the movie's release, I finally got it today.  And let me say, it is a great bag!

The distressed Italian leather (called Tribe Leather by Roots) makes the bag have a great "lived-in" feel and look to it.  The hardware that I had thought was brass turned out to be silver, which is just like the one in the movie, so that was a plus for me.  

The bag itself, while small enough to work as an everyday purse or bag, is still big enough to fit my 13" MacBook Pro.  The interior of the bag is lined (but not strongly padded, which I knew), and has two open pockets plus a larger zippered pocket.  

My MacBook Pro fits snuggly enough in the bag that it won't slide around and get scratched, but I'm still probably going to get a sleeve for it just in case (as long as it will still fit in the bag.)

The back of the bag's exterior sports the Roots Canada logo and it also has another zippered pocket for your things.

All in all, I am loving this bag.  It has a great classic look and feel to it, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good bag that will last.  I will be using this bag a lot in the coming years.  So, the verdict....the Roots Canada Small School Bag gets a A from me!  Good job, Roots!