THE READING WOMAN BOXED NOTECARD ASSORTMENT

$19.95 at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. —Arab proverb Whether routes to escape or paths to enlightenment, books create enticing worlds that can so absorb the reader that other realities fade away. A painting of a woman immersed in a book suggests a story of its own: the woman is at peace, or not; perhaps she is silently moved or thrilled by the words she reads. Is she stealing a moment from daily routine to indulge her love of literature? Or is she studiously searching the pages for illumination? Is…