2014 Books
So last January I made a couple of New Year's resolutions. I didn't come through on the jeans (to be honest, I chickened out in the face of flat felled seams and rivets). But I did manage the resolution I really wanted to stick to, reading more. So in no particular order, here's my favorites this year:
1. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, by Douglas Adams. I'm a sucker for sci-fi. I inhale mystery novels. So long story short, Dirky Gently is a detective I can get seriously get behind. Caveat: don't read this on a crowded flight like I did, because your maniacal laughing will be impossible to contain. Sorry, seat mates.
2. The Last Gentleman, by Walker Percy: Armed with a telescope and an insatiable curiosity, Will Barrett is on a hunt for life's meaning. Beautiful prose, wonderful scenes of Southern life and the most gut-wrenching final chapter I've ever read, The Last Gentleman is a keeper.
3. American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang: One of the best graphic novels I've read in a long time. I loved the blending of past and present, fact and fantasy. So very good and well worth the read, regardless of age.
4. The Greengage Summer, by Rumer Godden: A tale of five children fending for themselves in rural France, this one is brilliantly vivid with a pitch-perfect narrator.
5. Gerard Manley Hopkins: The Major Works: Hopkin's way with the English language is completely unparalleled and his later poetry is especially mesmerizing.
And here's the rest of what I read in 2014. Which begs the question: what should I read in 2015?
Calm + Bright
I just ate a sugar cookie for breakfast and the lights on the tree are going full blast, which can mean only one thing: it's time for me to head on out and do some fa la la'ing.
Hope you're having lovely holiday seasons! It's been busy here, wrapping up a book cover and starting sketches for something new and exciting (more on that in the new year). I also volunteered for this year's Candlelight Stroll at Strawbery Banke. I had the best time playing a WWII Air Raid Warden (that hat sure does make you feel like you mean business).
But right now, I'm off to spend the next few days with my family. I have pies to bake and tunes to listen to and general seasonal frivolity to partake in.
So Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Peace and Joy to you and yours. I'll pop back in sometime before the end of the year, but in the meantime, here's wishing you the very happiest of holiday seasons.
Tea and Toast
Bits and bobs, sketchbook things. December, I'm liking you (if for no other reason than I get to hear "Snoopy and the Red Baron" on the radio).
*I made these cinnamon rolls yesterday. Granted my version ain't going to win any beauty pageants, but they sure do taste fine. Bonus: they're grain-free AND sugar-free.
*I have the mermaid tea towels up in the shop! If you don't see any, I have plenty to keep re-listing, so no worries. And if you want one reserved, feel free to holler at me.
'Tis the Season
Because it's almost that time of year, here's some tags I made for your gift wrapping adventures.
:: Download Here ::
Fine print: you'll need a PDF reader to open these. Before printing, I recommend fiddling with your printer settings so that it's at its highest output quality (especially if you choose to run these on card stock). Feel free to print as many as you like for personal or educational use. Hope you like 'em!
Wild + Free
But enough with flowers. I need to start thinking about a Christmas tree...
Happy Friday!
Podcast-tastic
Like most freelancers, I end up listening to a lot of podcasts. So I thought I'd put together a list of a few of my favorites.
1. After the Jump: Hosted by Design*Sponge's Grace Bonney, After the Jump is a terrific resource for freelancers, creatives, small business owners and the like. A balance of interviews, tips and how-to's, it's definitely given me a lot of food for thought.
2. Serial: When I first heard that This American Life was doing a spin-off, I'll admit I was skeptical. But Sarah Koenig's made a convert of me and I'm counting down the days until each new episode. What I really love about Serial is the way it takes a story and disassembles it, examining all the bits of information we typically zoom past in this soundbite age. Caveat: Season 1 deals with a murder, so heads up if you're someone who listens to shows with kiddos around.
3. BBC Radio 4 Extra: You guys have no idea how much of this I listen to. For reals. I'm a sucker for radio dramas, so Radio 4 Extra is my auditory Shangri-La. Modern book adaptations, classics in serial form, sci-fi, it's pretty much all here. And speaking of the BBC...
4. Desert Island Discs: Stranded on a desert island, what tunes would you take along? Desert Island Discs poses this question to a terrific range of guests, everyone from politicians to actors, humanitarians to academics. You can also search for shows where the "castaway" choses a particular artist (and yes, I did listen to every show where the castaway chose the Talking Heads).
5. Smart Creative Women: A treasure trove of interviews with women in a wide range of fields, everything from surface design to quilting to illustration and more.
And what else? I figure This American Life, Radiolab and All Songs Considered are a given for most people, but if you don't listen, get a move on ASAP. I don't listen as frequently to How to do Everything and 99% Invisible, but when I do, like 'em a lot. And if you have the slightest interest in comics, Jerzy Drozd's Comics are Great podcast is top notch.
Whew. So what did I miss?
