Books

I spent about two years unable to read. It was connected with the stress around having to leave my old home and being out wandering in the world with no secure place to live. But now I can, by some miracle, read again.(Even though I still don't have a secure living space, I have been here for a year and 5 months.) Here are a few books I have read or am reading.

Isabel's Daughter by Judith Ryan Hendricks. A light novel about a girl raised in foster homes and her adventures when she runs away to find her own place in the world. The book read smoothly and at a good pace. Best of all was the Santa Fe setting, and the focus on artists and herbal healers.

The Road Washes Out in Spring by Baron Wormser. A memoir by a poet who lived "off the grid" for many years in the Maine woods. Excellent pieces on living life in the boondocks, though ironically the segments on poetry I generally skipped as they were dull. Published by the University Press of New England.

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron. Short, humourous pieces about aging and living in New York City. I read it at a fast clip and delighted at Ephron's humour and perspective.

Blackwater by Kerstin Ekman. A mystery novel by a Swedish writer. Recommended by Meredith. Engrossing and well written with a solid feel of the Swedish landscape. Hard to put down.

Papermaking and Bookbinding: Coastal Inspirations by Joanne B. Kaar. I had checked this book out of the library when I began reading Joanne's blog about papermaking. I recently bought the book as it was well put together and had some projects such as making paste paper that I want to try out. She connects the books and papers she makes to things one might see in a coastal town such as the paintworn wood on a rowboat, fishboxes and rope, rock pools and feathers, cliffs and fish skeletons which I think is a clever idea. Plus for beginning papermakers there are sections on tools and process.