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/...
Half-Assed: A Memoir
Jeanette Fulda
I have long been a fan of the blog pastaqueen.com and loved every minute of Fulda’s book. Topping out at nearly 400 lbs, Jeannette decided to loose over half her body weight. However, instead of the usual attempts – weight loss surgery, liquid diet, WeightWatchers/Atkins/Grapefruit Diet – she did what so few people ever try. She ate less and exercised more. What makes her so wonderful to read is that she never hated herself, even at her most unhealthy times. She rarely berates herself just gently eases into trying new things and going it bit further. For a self-proclaimed homebody she certainly has made a huge impact on many people. The scorching ...
The Year of Yes
Maria Dahvana Headley
I’m not sure what made me pick this book up. Like the musical Avenue Q, it is on the surface remarkably funny – chock full of those embrassing/funny stories that happen to frequently. However, once you look through the veneer of humor Headley’s story is both sad and, at times, pathetic. Tired of dating losers and feeling like all of her life is a big “no” Headley decides to start saying “yes” to any man that asks her out (barring a few things like being married or dangerous). She chronicles her dates. Most are awful, many are shocking and a few are sweet and wonderful. I’m not entirely sure this book would...
How Starbucks Saved My Life
How Starbucks Saved My Life – Michael Gates Gill
Entire Michael Gates Gill, a man who would make a prime case study for U-Turn, Green with Envy and House Lust. Gill, the son of a wealthy “New Yorker” writer, grew up with anything and everything he could want. His family lived in a brownstone in Manhattan. His ivy league school and connections delivered a job to him on a silver platter. He gave his life to his company, working insane hours and moving his family repeatedly. And then, suddenly, Gill was too old and out the door. His own start-up business foundered, he had little savings, a huge house and an affair that ended his marriage. Finally, at the ...
U-Turn:What if You Woke Up One Morning and Realized You were Living the Wrong Life?
U-Turn:What if You Woke Up One Morning and Realized You were Living the Wrong Life? - Bruce Grierson
The epically long title of this books reflects the equally massive amount of information in this book. A hair under 300 pages it manages to pack in a dense, and truly fascinating, amount of information. A u-turner is someone who makes a radical change in their life – often swinging 180 degrees to a full polar opposite of their former beliefs. Many of the u-turners switch on strong stances as religion – becoming Christian on a walk, leaving Evangelicalism to become an atheist writer. Some swing wildly on politics – one day an ardent Republican, the next ...
One Red Paperclip
Kyle MacDonald
I first became aware of the ORP project when I heard a mention of it on Alice Cooper’s radio show (yes he has a show, yes he is quite funny). Unemployed dreamer Kyle MacDonald decides he is tired of sponging off his patient girlfriend Dom. Faced with the choice of finding full-time employment or providing for her in a creative way, MacDonald starts http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com. Over the course of a year, MacDonald plays the “Bigger and Better” trading game, eventually ending up with a house of his very own. The press goes nuts in both the US and Canada and MacDonald bemusedly gets swept along. What I find most about the book is...