The Happiness Project
Gretchen Rubin
Rubin is a book-dork and I love her for it. Like me, when she has a problem to solve her first reaction is to find a book on the topic. After deciding that, on the whole, her life is good but there were areas that need work, Rubin set out to do some research. Dividing up her life into categories she thought deserved a polish, Rubin set out to find solutions to her problems. What she came up with some wonderful ideas. More importantly, she came up with some of her own life truths:
What’s fun for other people may not be fun for you — and vice versa.
What you do EVERY DAY matters more than what you do ONCE IN A WHILE
Plus commandments such as:
Do it now.
Let it go.
Spend out (spend money to make life better).
Some may apply to...
The Urban Hermit
Sam Macdonald
Sam Macdonald was a fat, broke failure. His social life consisted of sitting on a bar-stool all night. His apartment, he noted, was the “brownest” place he had ever lived. Mustering the reserves of a truly desperate man, he decided to go on a starvation diet to loose weight and save money. Breakfast – 2 hard-boiled eggs, lunch – cooked lentils and salt, dinner, – lentils and a white-bread and tuna sandwich. It was horrible, but Macdonald stuck it out. While he clearly warns that no one should ever eat like this or follow in his path, it did work for him. He lost nearly half his body weight, paid off his debts and saved...
The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch)
Carroll Spinney
Spinney is probably the most famous man no-one has ever heard of. He’s been on the cover of Time, traveled the world and performed with the likes of Bob Hope and the Rockettes, conducted orchestras, appeared as a guest on every late-night talk show and has been on tv for 40 years. All of this was done playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. Spinney’s short and very sweet book tells of his early interests in puppets, his friendship with Jim Henson and the incredible rise and popularity of Sesame Street. Spinney is as wonderful and kind outside the bird suit as he is in it.
The Bizarre and Incredible World of Plants, Seeds: Time Capsules of Life, Fruit: Edible, Inedible, Incredible
Wolfgang Stuppy and Rob Kesseler
Kesseler and Stuppy have produced a few of the most beautiful micro-photography books I have ever seen. Focusing on the minutiae of plants – seeds and fruits – they highlight these miniscule life-capsules that we rarely see or think about. Tiny seeds and exotic fruits are blown up into gorgeous art-forms. The text of the books is also quite interesting, but is totally overshadowed but...
Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America-and Found Unexpected Peace
William Lobdell
Lobdell’s journey from non-belief, to fervent Christianity and back again is a surprisingly rational one. With his life falling apart on all fronts, a young Lobdell’s friend and mentor suggests he give Christianity a try. Following a conversion at a retreat, Lobdell reorders his life and soon finds the success and peace he had been searching for. As a journalist, he turned his newfound faith into a living, writing a religion beat. After years of covering upbeat stories of folks whose faith carried them through the worst life has to offer, Lobdell found himself covering the numerous accusations against the Catholic church. As afraid as he ...
The Quilted Garden
Jane Sassaman
I had seen a couple of samples of Sassaman’s work in the book Masters Art Quilts. Coming from a strong graphic design background, Sassaman’s works are unlike any quilts I have ever seen. The designs are strong and bold, rarely using more than the smallest of patterns in the fabric. Nor are there any of the traditional patterns or maudlin, saccharine themes so commonly seen in quilt art. Sassaman incorporates weed leaves, writhing vines, jagged spikes and more into her nature-inspired quilts. Check out her site for the book, her line of Prairie Gothic fabric and a portfolio of her amazing work.
http://www.janesassaman.com/...