I loved this book and give it five stars. It struck me on many levels as it discusses the spirituality of creativity and making art, as well as techniques on writing better and enjoying reading more.
Books
Book Review: Deep Blue Sea For Beginners
This book was a bit flat and I only give it three stars. A librarian highly recommended it to me as an “engrossing emotional saga,” and I only blog about it now to have you save your time and read something else.
Book Review: Half Broke Horses
I own (but have not yet read) Jeannette Wall’s blockbuster novel The Glass Castle, and since she’s recently written this prequel, I thought I’d start here. I’m glad I did, and now I’m primed to read the other. This is a story of the author’s gutsy grandmother, set in the early 20th century, mostly in … Read more
Book Review: One Thousand White Women
This is a fictional account spinoff from an actual proposal that a Cheyenne chief made in peace talks in Washington: give us a thousand white women to couple with our braves, and since our children belong to their wives’ tribe, this will assimilate us into the white culture peacefully. I thought this offer had interesting … Read more
Andy Goldsworthy Books
As I said I would on the blog here, I pursued the above Andy Goldsworthy books, and really enjoyed reading them. They were inspiring, thought provoking and wonderful. My least favorite was the snowball book, and my most favorite is the one on the bottom, as it is the best overview of this man’s awesome … Read more
Book Review: Celebrate Your Creative Self
I really like this book a lot and give it a hearty five stars. It is wonderful to jump-start or freshen up your art if you are an experienced artist, but is also approachable enough to set the beginner totally loose, inducing them to soar. More than anything, it is total fun, without any overtone … Read more
Book Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog
This is a wonderful book; it is the best novel I’ve read in quite a while. I give it five stars. I enjoyed it on audio because it is told in two perfect voices, but I’m resolved to read it again in print because there are so many great bits that demand pondering and a … Read more
Book Review: Little Pink House
This book was exceptional; I give this audio version five stars. This is a true story of the Supreme Court’s baffling decision in the Kelo case to uphold arbitrary seizure and demolition of anyone’s private property by eminent domain to be handed over to private developers. This remains the most controversial ruling by the Supreme … Read more
Book Review: The Food of a Younger Land
Mark Kurlansky has a definitely different take on food writing, more steeped in history and culture and macro-cosmic trend than most. Having enjoyed his two previous history-of-food titles, Salt and Cod, I was interested in seeing his views of 1930’s era food in this country,
Lost and Found Testimony
I do a lot with the inter-library loan system both for myself and my homeschooling kids. It’s great! I can “shop” for books from my home and they come in from all over to my Bethel library two blocks away. Right when I read reviews online, I can ask for the book without even getting … Read more
Book Review: Sweetgum Knit Lit Society/ Knit for Love
When I read the first of these two books, I was unsure if it was good enough to review here, but I liked it enough to read it’s sequel which I thought was even better.
Poetry by Wislawa Szymborska
This poet won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1996, and this is the first book of her poems that I’ve read. Her work was recommended to me by Julie Bogart, the author of my daughter’s writing curriculum, as something she particularly enjoys for herself, so I looked it up on inter-library loan. I found … Read more
Book Review: Water For Elephants
I have finally read this popular book which has been on my reading list for years. As with so many others, I give it five stars for its compellingly evocative writing of both circus life and life in an assisted living facility. The menagerie of vivid characters were clearly drawn, the pace and the segues … Read more
Book Review: Cleaving
I can’ t believe I actually listened to all of this horrible new book by Julie Powell. The subtitle is Marriage, Meat and Obsession, but it would be more aptly subtitled Butchery, Adultery, and Self-Loathing.
Book Review: Watercolor By Design
I really liked this book and have gotten good ideas from it. I give it five stars as it is more helpful than a lot of similar books. Mostly it outlines the twelve classic design motifs which I’d like to discuss soon on a separate post. (You may have already seen the beginning of my … Read more
Best of 2009
This website and daily blog have been going for a year! Thank you so much for your continued readership. It is fun journeying with you and I appreciate all your ongoing comments. Keep them coming! It seems appropriate to review some of the best posts from my blog of 2009, as we look forward to … Read more
Book Review: School of Essential Ingredients
I really enjoyed this book. I give it five stars even though it is neither important nor profound – just nice – because sometimes well written “nice” is just what you want. There is a separate chapter on each person in the cooking class which reveals their backstory as well as the growth and progress … Read more