Hope you enjoyed the glimpses into these pretty books. Have you read any good books recently?
For more pretty books: last installation, more pretty cookbooks, and the first round up .
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I am happy to share three new pretty books today as part of my ongoing series highlighting gorgeous and inspiring books. The best part: these books are all available to borrow for free from the library. Beauty on a budget! Today I'm sharing peaks into Holly Becker's three Decorate books. Holly is the author of the Decor8 blog where she shares her passion and inspiration for living a creative life. D E C O R A T E Decorate was Holly's first book, released in 2011. This book is a pretty typical design book, divided into sections based on different styles (i.e Natural Style, Flea Market Style, Colorful Style). I loved so many ideas I saw in this book and wished I could "pin" them all. D E C O R A T E W O R K S H O P Decorate Workshop was such a fun book, and if it hadn't been requested by someone else in the library system I would still be studying it. Decorate Workshop is a more user friendly version of Decorate, with a step by step guide to applying Holly's decorating principles to your own space. I really loved that she gives ideas for things you'll need to get started (floor plan, details, swatches) and asks good questions to get your inspiration flowing and help you think of what you really want for your space. She finishes the different sections with pictures of absolutely gorgeous spaces. D E C O R A T E W I T H F L O W E R S And now my favorite book of the Decorate trio: Decorate with Flowers. Holly's most recent book (co-written with Leslie Shewring) is focused on adding floral decorations to your house/apartment in fresh and creative ways. This is the kind of book that I would cuddle with before going to sleep every night in the hopes that the gorgeous images would inspire my dreams. The flowers! The colors! The paper accent! Ah, be still my heart. I now plan on keeping a flower budget for the rest of the summer so I can add mini arrangements to our house...all the time. How about yes please to this whole book? Even if I would never make anything out of this book, I would buy it for our coffee table just so I could browse through it.
Hope you enjoyed the glimpses into these pretty books. Have you read any good books recently? For more pretty books: last installation, more pretty cookbooks, and the first round up .
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Seed catalogs combine my loves of gardening and photography into bound pages of beauty. Usually I just flip through whatever old catalogs I have laying around my house, the ones that are several years old that I inherited from fellow gardeners. But I recently found a new favorite catalog produced by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds calls the Whole Seed Catalog. I first saw the catalog on Pinterest, then heard about it again from a friend, then realized it was made by the same company that was responsible for an awesome gardening book I had checked out from library. Basically all signs in the universe were pointing me towards this seed catalog. I was so excited about this catalog I was willing to pay for it - and it was well worth the $7.95 cost. The catalog includes 350 pages of seeds and also features information about interesting farmers, seed saving tips, recipes, and quotes from people like my heroine Vandana Shiva. Ordering the catalog gave me the extra excitement of waiting for it to arrive in the mail, and I'll be able to have it on hand for seasons to come. (For those not on top of ordering your garden seeds yet: you can currently get the 2014 catalog for only $4! Quite the steal :) Seed catalogs are so exciting. They hold so much possibility and garden dreams. The Whole Seed Catalog has especially nice pictures, and like I said, the extra features add something special too. There were so many varities of vegetables, fruits, and flowers in the catalog that I had never even heard of. My favorite was the Michael Pollan green tomato. I decided I needed a lot of seeds this year and might have gone a little crazy with my Baker Creek seed purchases (unfortunately the Michael Pollan was sold out). But I know I'm supporting a good cause, and it'll help me have a beautiful vegetable garden this season. So thanks in advance Baker Creek for a tasty, beautiful, heirloom garden.
Most days I can find joy in my life very easily. There's so much I have to be thankful for, and I have so much in my life that I enjoy. But some days...well some days just suck. And today is one of those days. The return of cold weather is affecting me and some recent health problems and harmone swings are not helping.
Now don't get me wrong. My life is still great. But even great lives can have a few annoying days mixed in. And on days like this, few things give me greater comfort than curling up with a good book. There's times when a familiar title will console me like nothing else can. Last night I came home after a looooong day and fell asleep reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The night before my wedding (not a bad night by any means, but definitely an emotional, excited one) I read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Sometimes a book like that, one I've read over and over and practically have memorized, is the only thing that will calm me down. Jo says something along these lines in the Little Women movie, that reading her favorite books is like coming home again. I quite agree. Hope you're all holding up well in the end of winter season. What brings you comfort on hard days? I just finished reading A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen. It took all of about fifteen minutes to read its 50 short pages (there's lots of pictures and minimal text. Quindlen summarized my philosophy on life right now better than I would be able to do. Stated simply: life is meant to be lived and all of its little moments and details are meant to be enjoyed. Here's my favorite section. I thought it was so good that it was worth sharing in its entirety. C'mon, let's be honest. We have an embarassment of riches. Life is good. I don't mean in any cosmic way. I never think of my life, or my world, in any big cosmic way. I think of it in all its small component parts: the snowdrops, the daffodils; the feeling of one of my kids sitting close beside me on the couch; the way my husband looks when he reads with the lamp behind him; fettucine Alfredo; fudge; Gone with the Wind, Pride and Prejudice. Life is made up of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of grey cement. It would be wonderful if they came to us unsummonded, but particularly in lives as busy as the ones most of us lead now, that won't happen. We have to teach ourselves how to make room for them, to love them, and to live, really live. What special moments make your life what it is?
With all the painting and knitting I've been doing lately, I haven't been making as much time for reading. I realized I haven't posted about a book I've read in months! Eek. I recently checked out a bunch of very colorful books from the library (tis the season for adding some much needed color to my life), and I wanted to share my favorites with you. Time for a new edition of three pretty books! P A P E R T O P E T A L I found this book through Design Sponge, and I have felt so inspired reading through it. Paper to Petal includes instructions for creating 75 types of paper flowers. I love the imagination that went into the creations, and the photography, colors, and instructions are designed so beautifully. I don't even know if I'll make any of the flowers, but I've greatly enjoyed flipping through the pages and picking out my favorites. Honorable mention to the section on materials and for making me want to go on a craft store shopping spree. S P R I N K L E B A K E S Book number two was found through Anthropologie's booklist - my go to for beautiful coffee table books to check out from the library. Sprinkle Bakes is written by a Tennessee based artist named Heather who paints, photographs, and uses her artistic flare for creating edible works of art. It's to her credit that she makes edible sculptures look doable; a sign of a true master is a person who can understand their art form well enough to teach it to someone else. That being said, I haven't actually tried any of the recipes yet, but I'll for sure share if I do! I also discovered that I can find even more inspiration for artistic desserts at Spinkle Bakes blog. Yummy. P A N T O N E : The 20th Century in Color Last but not least: book three which I found very randomly. A person sitting across the room from me at a work meeting had a Pantone book with her, and I thought "hmmm...I wonder if I could find that at the library!" Turns out I could. I first discovered Pantone through Pinterest, and I've learned that they are the go to people for identifying and creating color trends. Pantone: the 20th Century in Color explores the use of color throughout the last century. I plan on using this book to come up with new color pallets for paintings and room themes. And of course for some simple evening browsing. Get it Mr. Travolta.
Read any good books lately? Find any good picture books? For more pretty books: cookbooks and my first round up of 3 pretty books. There's a strange moment in time, after something horrible happens, when you know it's true but you haven't told anyone yet. Of all things, that is what I remember most. It was so quiet.
...I think we all had the same strange idea that if we stood there without moving forever and ever, we could keep our family the way it was. We would not wake up from this nightmare to find out it was someone's real life, and for once that someone wasn't just a poor unlucky nobody in a shack you could forget about. It was our life, the only one we were going to have. This is one of the only books I've ever read that I could describe as beautiful and haunting. Barbara Kingsolver's writing is breathtaking, and I stopped many times while reading The Poisonwood Bible to stop and sit with whatever sentence she had just crafted. Like the passage above, she hits emotions right on the head - she gets to the emotional heart of whatever she's saying so well. It made a heartbreaking story very enjoyable to read. The Poisonwood Bible is a story about a missionary family who travels to the Belgian Congo in 1959, led by the family's ferociously Evangelical father Nathan Price. We hear the story told by Nathan's wife (Orleanna) and four daughters (Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May), who are each transformed by the Congo forever - but in very different ways. While Nathan stops at nothing to convert a Congolese village to his version of Christianity, the women in his family struggle to survive and make a life as political turmoil erupts around them. The novel follows the family over three decades, so you understand as a reader just how transformational the Congo was to the Prices. The Poisonwood Bible has made its way to the elite ranks of my 5 star rated books. It includes three of my favorite historical fiction elements - excellent writing, female narrators, and a long timeline of events. It doesn't get much better than this! Have you read The Poisonwood Bible? What did you think of it? Diego: 3. Library books: 0. It's been that kind of week. The kind where you have a long day at work and come home to the lifeless remains of a beautiful library book - and the victorious howls of a loud, ear-infected beagle.
This week has been hard. I feel drained and tired from busyness at work and home. A friend had her foster child taken away. Another friend is worried that her friend's boyfriend is abusive. Paul and I have been picking fights like siblings. And I'm pretty sure little minions are sneaking inside my room every night and shrinking my pants (because it couldn't possibly be all the ice cream I've been eating that is causing them not to fit). And all this is on top of the grief and sadness we're still dealing with. On top of the stress of living away from both of our families and many of our good friends. On top of the uncertainty of not knowing what city we'll settle down in. BUT. And here's the big but. Even though life is hard, it is still so good. The weather has been so gorgeous. The colors in our neighborhood look like they could have been painted by someone. Our neighbors love our beagles and are magically tolerating their howling. I met a dog named Seinfeld this morning. We have built a wonderful Milwaukee community that is very life giving. I have a colorful $5 bouquet of flowers brightening my office. I found all the tomatoes for our canning workshop this weekend for $25 (photos to come next week). My acupuncture appointment made my shoulders feel a million times better. I love my job. I was able to tell a person without health insurance (and with a terrible heart condition) that he could buy affordable insurance January 1. Fro-yo is amazing. Accepting the reality that life is both hard and good is part of the reason I started this blog. I had developed a bad habit of focusing on the hard and forgetting the good, and it was turning me bitter. Blogging has been helpful over the past month especially - when I have felt angry and annoyed at the world, but I can still pull it together enough to write a positive post. The practice has been good for my well being and overall happiness. And that is all I have to say this week. I hope you have had a great week and can think of a few things that have been positive. And as always, hope you have a fantastic weekend! I learned to focus on the positive in my blogging from Emily over at Today's Letters. I highly recommend her blog. Another few blogs that are excellent at this: Love Taza, Say Yes! Change Things, and Petal and Plume. They always put me in a good mood. Do you have any blogs that make you happy? Are you a person who enjoys audio books? If you are, please stop everything you're doing and find a way to listen to this book immediately. If you're not into audio books but you spend any time in your car, house or anywhere else by yourself, consider finding a copy of this audio book and take a listen.
Over the past year, I've started to enjoy audio books more and more. Especially now that I'm commuting to work by car, audio books are a very joyful part of my everyday life. I can tell pretty quickly whether the audio book is one I'm going to enjoy, and I fell in love with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society immediately (it helped that I had already loved reading the book version). Here's the GoodReads summary: “ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb…. As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The top 5 reasons I loved this book: 1. The characters are well layered and loveable - and each played by a different voice actor. Which automatically endears me to any audio book. Characters you love reading about come to life in a totally different way when you can hear their "voices." 2. The characters all have wonderful British accents. And this American loves listening to British accents. 3. The story is about the life-saving power of reading and is basically a long love letter to books (similar to the Book Thief is that regard). 4. The story is comprised of letters written between the characters. And letters are wonderful. 5. The book made me laugh and cry. Hardly any books can claim that honor because I'm not usually one to laugh or cry at books (only at movies and TV shows). Which basically means this book is amazing. Now I've done all I can to convince you to listen to one of my favorite books. The responsibility is yours to get yourself to your library and get listening. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, even if it doesn't involve any residents of the island of Guernsey. My bookclub had our bimonthly get together last night, and it was fantastic! I love our gatherings, and I'm already looking forward to our meeting in October. I'm sure it will be here faster than I expect. The ladies in my bookclub love eating, drinking, and socializing just as much as we love books. Our bookclub meetings usually include more catching up than they do actual book talk, but we think we strike a good balance. We chose a "fun summer book" for this month: Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple. What a fantastic fun summer book it was. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads and highly recommend it. A quick summary: Bernadette Fox is considered a fearlessly opinionated partner, a disgrace, a revolutionary architect, a best friend, and a mother. When she disappears before a family trip to Antartica, her daughter Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence to help find her—creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in an absurd world. The book's author Maria Semple used to be a writer for Arrested Development (one of my favorite shows), and her clever wit shows up throughout the book. Her characters are loveable and complex and strange, and their interactions are often hilarious. I enjoyed her descriptions of Antarctica so much that I told Paul that we will be taking an Antarctica cruise...right after we win the lottery. Yay for food, drinks, friends, and books! These things pretty much complete my life.
I've mentioned before that I love young adult fiction. As my friend Lizzy says, "I like books meant for 12 year old girls." Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet series falls into this category, but it feels like a series that is understood on a deeper level when experienced as an adult. Kind of like a Pixar or classic Disney movie.
A Wind in the Door is the follow up book to A Wrinkle in Time which I finished reading just a few weeks ago. I'm in love with these books, and I'm already dreaming about reading them to my kids someday (along with Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, and many others). This book continues the story of Meg Murry, her little brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin. Meg is frightened when she finds out Charles Wallace is sick with a mysterious illness, and she feels overwhelemed and unprepared when she learns that she is being called to save him. Meg learns about mitochondria, farandolae, and that size is not always what it seems. Meg has to fight the Echthroi (those who hate) with love in order to save her brother's life and maintain the balance of the universe. Pretty awesome right? The book tells a classic adventure story where the kids play the heroes, and the advanced scientific/philosophical/theological concepts make the books way fun - although most of the concepts will forever be way over my head. L'Engle has an amazing gift as a story teller - and as a poet, as you can see from this poem included at the climax of the book. I've thought about this poem several times while watering my garden, and I love thinking of whole galaxies worth of importance contained in my plants and the little crawling insects. Be! Be, butterfly and behemoth, be galaxy and grasshopper, start and sparrow, you matter, you are, be! Be caterpillar and comet, be porcupine and planet, sea sand and solar system, sing with us, dance with us, rejoice with us, for the glory of creation, sea gulls and seraphim, angle worms and angel host, chrysanthemum and cherabum Be! Sing for the glory of the living and the loving the flaming of creation sing with us dance with us be with us. |