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fiction

The Twentieth Wife
by Indu Sundaresan
Set against the historical background of 16th and 17th Century India, this tale of love, power, passion and political treachery is still, in essence, a love story set against the parormic backgrop of a heavily male dominated culture. Mehrunnisa, the main character of The Twentieth Wife, is the beautiful daughter of a courtier to the Mughal emperor, Akbar.

mystery

Death du Jour
Kathy Reichs
Fans of Patrica Cornwell have been raving about Kathy Reichs' Death du Jour. You'll find the same gripping detail and dogged intensity you love and admire in Kay Scarpetta in Reichs' Dr. Temperance Brennan, Forensic Anthropologist for the Province of Quebec.

art

Watercolor Workbook : A Complete Course in Ten Lessons
by Anne Elsworth
A wonderful introduction to watercolor painting. The lessons are multi-faceted, full of color, and accompanied by excellent examples and clear and concise instruction. Unlike other books on watercolor, Elsworth's begins not with washes but lets budding painters dive right in with an assortment of flowers and whimsical birds that encourage a feel for brushes and a love for the way watercolor paint works on the page.

garden

Tabletop Gardens
by Rosemary McCreary
Tabletop Gardens takes a look at simple arrangements for indoor settings using an inspiring range of types of flowers combined with simple, innovative, and winning containers. From a Mediterranean herb basket to a Flaming Flower Bell Jar garden to a garden of bromelids planted in a cluster of individual small pots, a range of options are presented allowing garden lovers to find ideas that fit their decorating and interior styles.

sf/fantasy

Destiny: Child of the Sky
by Elizabeth Haydon
In Destiny Rhapsody and Achmed seek out the offspring of the F'dor, hoping to use them to hunt it down, while Grunthor prepares the Bolglands for war. But as they near the com- pletion of their quest, their world crosses the threshold of disaster and faces utter oblivion. With Destiny, Haydon brings the action to a fever pitch, achieving a crescendo of tragedy, love, and triumph of their human spirit over world-shattering cataclysm.

June 15, 2007

A New Take on Dinosaurs

I just got Uneversaurus (by Aidan Potts) in the mail and popped it open to find myself staring at an inside cover full of something that could look like a pattern of "scales" in striated ribbons of color with matching names... like a giant painter's palette. Or, else, it looks like a prismatic "eye" done in the colors. I was struck that it was a palette - and amazing one. And then, we started reading. And, this is a beautifully done and fascinating book with a clear science edge. The focus: the "colors" of dinosaurs and that we don't know what colors they were. The book goes through all kinds of ways that scientists might try and deduce what colors a dinosaur was. But the fact remains, we don't know. The illustrations are fabulous. The science is thought-provoking and accessible and all-together wonderfully done. And, the back cover... why it's a very detailed full-spread dinosaur for YOU to color the way you imagine the dinosaur might look.

Posted by amyo in Children at 01:59 PM

April 20, 2007

Fun for the "Art Mom" from FLAX!

FLAX has a special "Mother's Day" offer right now on online orders - 10% on any order between 4/20/07 and 5/9/07 with code F1007. Just so you know!

Well, while I'm at it, here are a few favorite things that always make me smile in the FLAX catalog/store. I have long loved the rainbow watch. I wish it was an adult size!

Posted by amyo in Art at 11:08 PM

April 19, 2007

Printmaking Techniques (for everyone)

(Print made by 6-year old.)

I recently reviewed a number of books on "printmaking techniques" in preparation for a monoprinting project I was planning to do with a group of 20 kindergarteners. I've monoprinted before, but I wondered if there were other things I could be doing and adding to my own technique that would work with kids and in the classroom setting. I ended up getting really excited about printmaking - especially by the idea of cutting my own lino blocks or even cutting erasers to make custom stamps. The following titles are ones I found most useful, most inspiring, and most comprehensive for the average (maybe at-home) artist.

Simple Printmaking: A Beginner's Guide to Making Relief Prints with Rubber Stamps, Linoleum Blocks, Wood Blocks, Found Objects by Gwen Diehn
This one, more than any of the others I reviewed, got me really excited about printmaking - and left me really amazed at the wonderful prints shown throughout the book. This title is chock full of amazing examples of various types of printmaking as well as good and interesting pullouts on the history of printmaking as well as famous printmakers throughout art history. The book begins with in-depth discussion and illustration of the process of developing a design (from found objects to doodles to photos to drawings) and then moves on to coverage of the techniques. Techniques includes are: Found Objects, Distressed Block, Negative Carving, Positive Carving, Multiple Block Print, Sawn Block, and Collagraph. At the end of the book is an assemblage of functional and everyday projects you can make using printmaking as the chief medium. Some of them are a birth announcement (and jigsaw puzzle), a book cover, luminaries, lampshades, labels, notecards, and more.
The Instant Printmaker: Simple Printing Methods to Try at Home (Watson-Guptill Famous Artists) by Melvyn Petterson and Colin Gale
The focus on printmaking techniques that are easy to do and can be done at home and with accessible supplies is only one of the strengths of this book. The step-by-step directions are very well done and well illustrated, and each technique is also accompanied by a gallery of sample prints made by other artists so that you see a good range of application. The authors also cover some (maybe unusual) basic (and kid friendly) processes like foam prints, vegetable prints, and prints made with oven-baked modeling clay. They've got a section on relief printing with erasers (carving your own erasers to make stamps, basically) that is just fabulous and has totally put a bug in my ear about giving this technique a try. One thing I liked about this book is a feeling of innovation - not everything is brayer-dependent. Lots of brushwork is shown, and the section on "Collagragphs: Printing from a Collage" yields a stunning piece of art. A comprehensive title, in addition to the techniques already mentioned, the book covers Linocuts, Woodcuts, Boxwood Engraving, Screenprinting, Drypoint (on various mediums), Etching (various formats), Aquatints, and Lithography.
The Encyclopedia of Printmaking Techniques by Judy Martin
This book is full of wonderful examples of a wide range of printmaking styles. Each topic covered is accompanied by really good step by step annotation and photographs of what has been added in each step of an often multi-step process. The section on monoprints follows the creation of a really beautiful print. I found the sections on woodcuts and Lino cuts fascinating and really inspiring to watch the prints evolve in the samples. The book also covers Intaglio printing, Lithography, Etching, Drypoint, and Screenprinting. An excellent resource.

Posted by amyo in Art at 06:17 PM

April 17, 2007

Current Reading Stack

The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration - great information/resource and the examples of sample artwork with hand lettering are quite wonderful and beautiful.
The Kitchen Knight: A Tale of King Arthur (by Margaret Hodges [Author] and Trina Schart Hyman [Illustrator]) - second from this team that we've read. We just discovered this one. It's wonderful for those with knightly interests - not aimed at the youngest crowd... longer story. But excellent retelling and illustration.
Saint George and the Dragon (by the same duo noted above) - when we first got this one last year, we had to read it repeatedly, many times, to satisfy the initial enthusiasm for it. Beautiful artwork; great medieval story.
Nate the Great - If, like us, your child has exhausted the Magic Treehouse series, almost finished the A to Z Mysteries, and is looking for something new, give Nate the Great a try. The stories are a bit shorter than the other two series - but perfect for early reading-on-my-own time - or great for a quick half hour sit with them in your lap and share a mystery moments. Second half of the book (in some versions) has activities prompted by the story (I assumed all versions had this - but the library ones don't - they are nice, hardback, and with full-color illustration - so, versions vary!).
Watercolor Pencil Magic.

Posted by amyo in Art at 10:53 PM

December 04, 2006

Fill the Air this Holiday!

Narada Presents: Best of Celtic Christmas

Posted by amyo in Music at 06:12 PM

Meaningful Chocies (just a few!)

Spilling Open: The Art of Becoming Yourself

Kafka's Soup: A Complete History of World Literature in 14 Recipes

Posted by amyo in Art at 05:45 PM

adopting a low-carb lifestyle...

An estimated 30-50 million people have adopted a low-carb lifestyle spearheaded by popular diets and lifestyle eating patterns advocated by Dr. Atkins. Here are a few books to get you started exploring the possible variations on the low-carb concept - and some cookbooks to give you a taste of what's possible when you move away from low-fat and go low-carb.

Atkins for Life: The Complete Controlled Carb Program for Permanent Weight Loss and Good Health

500 Low-Carb Recipes: 500 Recipes from Snacks to Dessert, That the Whole Family Will Love

The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss
By Arthur Agatston, M.D.

For those skeptical of low-carb diets (and the often corresponding emphasis on high-fat), the South Beach Diet offers an exciting middleground approach to weight loss. While the diet does differentiate between carbs (not all carbs are equal in terms of how the body reacts to them), the diet is not low-carb. You won't count carbs, calories, or even fat. Instead, you'll eat from the acceptable food list during the first two-week phase, add more foods in during phase two, and then move on to a lifelong pattern of eating in phase three once you've lost the weight. This tiered approach sounds a lot like Atkins, and it allows dieters to move in and out of phases when they need to renew their dieting efforts or rebound after a splurge. The difference is in the foods. South Beach doesn't give you carte blanche to eat all the meats, oils, and cheeses you want. There's still a lot of range, but there is an emphasis on low-fat items and lean cuts. You won't be using heavy cream in your coffee just because it's lower carb; instead, skim milk is a good choice. You can snack on some cheese, but it will be a low-fat string. And traditional bacon and eggs is out, although you could match your breakfast with Canadian or turkey bacon. If you're looking for an extreme, you won't really find it in South Beach. The diet doesn't let you go off the deep end with fats or carbs. Instead, South Beach teaches you to eat well-balanced meals and to approach carbs in a way that causes the least trouble for the body and takes the body the longest to process.

The first half of the book explains how the body processes and deals with carbs and offers the best and most down-to-earth explanations of these processes, insulin resistance, and diabetes that we've seen. The second half of the book contains the three phases, sets of wonderful and mouth-watering menu choices from restaurants in the South Beach area, and acceptable and "to-avoid" food lists for the phases.

Famous for their baby blankets that fold up into an attached pillow, Bramblebug specializes in one-of-a-kind whimsical creations for the whole family. Check out coordinating fleece hats that match the blankets for a winning baby gift. Or, for the reader on your list, their "beadmarks" bring functional style and eloquence to the page. for toddlers... Halibut Jackson We loved it! My skeptical 3-year old reader wouldn't have picked this one off the shelf of his own accord - after all, it doesn't have the word "truck" in the title. However, once we sat down to read it, we were both charmed. The title character is "shy" - so shy that he wears clothes that allow him to blend into his surroundings. As the story shows, he has special outfits for a number of places he goes - library, market, and so on. Each special outfit helps to ensure he goes unnoticed. This all changes when he gets invited to a party at the castle. He creates a wondrous outfit, but things don't turn out as he planned - the party is outside rather than in the castle. The goof turns into a strike of fate, however, as everyone notices him in his wonderful outfit - and everyone wants one of his creations. An entrepreneur is born! The illustrations are wonderful, and young readers will delight in "finding" Halibut on the early pages where his special "can't-see-me" outfits are showcased. Halibut Jackson is a wonderful and refreshingly innovative and different story readers will delight in hearing - and seeing. Thomas & Friends: Shhh! It's a Surprise A small-format board book, this 12-page lift-the-flaps book is perfect for small hands and pre-readers. Our 2-year old loves this book. He loves flaps in general, but this one has recently become a read-it-over-and-over favorite that he can narrate for us. Each page presents one of the trains involved in a task related to Sir Topham Hat's birthday party and intones "Shhhh! It's a surprise!" Toby is in the meadows gathering flowers with the children, Percy is in town picking up the cake, and so on. It's a simple tale, but it's a lot of fun, features favorite Thomas characters, and teaches the concept of "surprise" and keeping a secret even to the youngest of readers. All Around the Island (Thomas & Friends) Another Thomas lift-the-flap book, All Around the Island is a much larger book than Shhh! It's a Surprise and contains many more flaps - promising even more fun and longevity. Each page features one of the places on Sodor (e.g., Quarry, Docks, etc.) and contains a multitude of things hiding under the flaps for little fingers to uncover. Thomas and the Shooting Star By W. Awdry This is a delightful and innovative nighttime romp sure to be a bedtime winner for Thomas fans. Thomas can't sleep - and wakes Gordon. So Gordon sends him off to find a falling star for tips on how to get to sleep. Thomas finds many other bright lights in the nighttime sky - but never catches up to the star. Nevertheless, he's exhausted by the time he returns to the station. Young readers will delight in following Thomas on his quest and in "spotting" the bright light on each page and guessing what it might be. All You Need Is Love: Beatles Songs for Kids Our reviewer is ashamed to admit that this CD was her introduction to the music of the Beatles, but whatever it takes! She's now hooked, and we think both long-term Beatles fans and newbies alike will find a lot to love in this collection of Beatles hits performed by young voices. This is a perfect car CD for families with kids, for teens on their way to spring break, for weekend roadtrips or vacation travel, or just because. A super mix of songs. Well-performed. Well worth the money. Team this up with Blue Suede Shoes: Elvis Songs for Kids and Catch a Wave: Beach Songs for Kids for a cool, kid-friendly introduction to some legendary tunes. Parents and toddlers alike will find these a hit.				for young adult readers... [more] Eragon by Christopher Paolini Picked up by Knofp after first being self-published and marketed by nineteen-year-old author Christopher Paolini and his family, Eragon has cropped up in the young adults section of many bookstores, and, indeed, this is a breathtaking coming-of-age story as young Eragon is only 15 when he unwittingly stumbles across a blue dragon's egg that launches him on the quest of his life at the beginning of the book. The novel, however, is not simply for kids. Despite Eragon's young age, this 600+ page tome offers wonderful, classic, and gripping worldbuilding, magic, and fantasy for all fans of the genre. Full of magic, celtic overtones, various races, politics, dragons, mindspeech, and, of course, battle, danger, suspense, and a beautiful female Elf sorcerer that needs saving, Eragon will keep you turning pages, eager for more. As Eragon goes about seeking revenge for his uncle's death, he travels first with the more-than-he-seems Brom who undertakes Eragon's training in swordsmanship, magic, strategy, and reading. By the end of the book, Eragon has made many new friends and acquaintances, learned much, adopted the mantle of dragon rider, helped save the dwarf and Varden community, and is poised for the second book in the series. This one is not to be missed - the brilliant blue jacket and wonderful depiction of Saphira the dragon make it a perfect holiday gift, too. Melanie Martin Goes Dutch: The Private Diary of My Almost Bummer Summer With Cecily, Matt the Brat, and Vincent Van Go Go Go by Carol Weston There's much here to cheer about. Carol Weston has come up with another winner in the series of Melanie Martin diaries. The style is fun, inventive, and honest. Laid out in diary format, Melanie adds her own sense of pizzaz to her journal entries, often noting (graphically) where she is (in bed, on a plane), what time it is, and so on. Reading Melanie Martin Goes Dutch feels just like snooping on a young girl's diary - you'll constantly be flipping pages to see what she says next. Melanie's on a cool trip to Amerstam with her parents, younger brother, and best friend Cecily - whose mother is undergoing breast cancer surgery. Melanie and her brother are (not surprisingly) constantly bickering, a situation which gets complicated when Cecily befriends Matt the Brat, leaving Melanie feeling a bit on the outside. It's a growing up story, and Melanie spends much of her trip feeling out of sorts and left out and mistreated. But in between all the angst, she visits a number of cool places, learns a lot about art (her mother is an art teacher), and reads The Diary of Anne Frank, a story which provides interesting parallels and contrasts with her own life, giving her much to think about. Parents, beware, the parents in this book are super cool and super smart. They constantly have something historical or trivial to add to buffet even the simplest of excursions or observations! music for creativity... don't miss on DVD... If you haven't seen Spirited Away yet, then you're missing out on what we think is one of the most innovative and haunting animations released in years. Pick up a copy, turn out the lights, and let yourself be transported to Hayao Miyazaki's fantastical world full of color, magic, larger-than-life characters, and threads of love and friendship that stand up in the face of seemingly impossible challenges. This is a feast for the eyes - and a lot of fun. After Spirited Away, you won't want to miss Kiki's Delivery Service. This one has made the list in our house for younger viewers, too. (It doesn't have overtly scary or eerie overtones like the more mature Spirited Away.) The story of Kiki who is in training to be a witch is a delightful story of the importance of believing in oneself. Miyazaki's deft feel for color and movement makes Kiki and her escapades on her broom immediately charming and delightful. When her magic is suddenly "gone," you'll worry with her and wait anxiously for her to be able to talk to her companion cat again. This is a wonderful story about art and courage and self and friendship - and there is a healthy dose of young romance at work, too.
The Baby Knits Book: The Ultimate Collection of Knitwear Designs for Newborns to 3-Year-Olds Debbie Bliss Debbie Bliss' new The Baby Knits Book is a must-have collection for new knitters and for Bliss fans. A collection of Bliss designs for teddy bears is what got me started knitting, and I soon became an avid fan of her designs for babies and toddlers. Since then, she's expanded her line to include adult garments, and she now produces her own line of yarns (highlighted in the projects in this book). But her toddler designs are still close to our hearts. As usual, the designs have a classic "English" feel, just perfect for a chubby little baby. Broken down into sections entitled Cozy, Simple, and Special, the collection contains an assortment of clothing items and accessories including a seed stitch hat, scarf, and blanket, a double-breasted cardigan (stockinette body; seed lapels) with matching pants, garter stitch hat and jacket, kimono outfit, a beautiful hooded cable and rib sweater for older children (up to age 4), a classic circular yoke sweater for 2-5 year-olds, a fancy cable and seed stitch cardigan that has a Western feel to it, a beaded Fair Isle cardigan with matching shoes for infants, a wonderful embroidered jacket and similarly-inspired kaftan v-neck, and an alphabet blanket for those who've made a pastime of knitting the family of similar baby blankets from her various books. Several dresses and shoes round out the collection, and add options for knitting for girls, but the book is well balanced in terms of boy-appropriate designs, and there are several classic styles here - raglans and cardigans - that can easily fill a little boy's closet. Size ranges are good. Patterns tend to be either for infant (going to either 12 or 24 months) or for older toddlers (e.g., 2-4), but there is a good mix of each, and Bliss' patterns tend to be generously sized, allowing plenty of ease for a charming oversized look that will fit more than one season. Bliss enthusiasts will notice patterns similar to those that appear in other collections - the coat hanger, for instance. But we were struck by how much of this book really felt fresh and new for Bliss while retaining her trademarks sense of shaping, style, and classic design, color, and stitch patterning. This is a super collection and belongs on the shelf of any serious knitter of children's wear. Pair this up with some Debbie Bliss cashmerino yarn for a super gift for the mom-to-be. Family Circle: Easy Baby Knits: 50 Whimsical Projects for Babies & Toddlers Trisha Malcolm (Editor) The patterns that form this compilation are taken from past issues of Family Circle's Easy Knitting magazine, but having them all together in one nicely-done book with great photos of the finished projects is handy. And, there are some fabulous picks here - some of the best patterns from the magazine - some of the ones I had looked at and thought "Oh, I'd like to make that" and then forgot about when the magazine got shelved - are here. The book contains an assortment of patterns for girls, boys, accessories like hats and scarves, blankets, and toys. Moms perpetually looking for cute boy patterns will be excited by the "Boy's Club" section which contains a wonderful cabled classic, a red-and-white striped sweater with an intarsia whale and ocean, a classic two-color fair isle for baby and teddy, a basic everyday garter-stitch cardigan, an adorable Scandinavian-style sweater with traditional fair isle and a teddy on skis in them middle, and more. Looking through the sections seemingly devoted to "girls" and "boys" respectively, we felt that many of the patterns could easily work for either gender, so don't feel limited by the chapter organization. For example, the "Go Fish" sweater is one we've always adored and have on a future projects list for a little boy. Both the "Cradle Comfort" and "Toy Box" sections have wonderful projects, including sheep pillows and matching blanket and some adorable knit dinosaurs. Overall, this is a good collection with a range of projects for children of varying ages. While there are true infant patterns, several others are for 2, 4, 6 years, and one even goes to 8 years! Plan wisely, and you can knit your way through this book from cradle to gradeschool. Knitting for Teddies Catherine Bouquerel As usual, Trafalgar Square does things right. Knitting for Teddies gets started with a photo index that shows a picture of each project so you have an immediate visual reference of the whole book. This kind of "nice" and charming touch is continued throughout the book. Each of the bear patterns is prefaced by a small story that sets the stage for the outfit shown and places the bear in a fictional context. This is a wonderful way to contextualize a new outfit for the receiver and create a story upon which they can build. The patterns in the book provide outfits for all seasons and a variety of "events." Each pattern is presented for a 13 ½ inch bear, and some of the projects contain a coordinating outfit for a "baby" bear. The most wonderful surprise when we started looking at the book was that many of the projects also contain a child's 3-6 month pattern as well. We didn't expect that in a book of "teddy" patterns - and there are no pictures of children in the book, just Mama and Baby teddies dressed in adorable handknit outfits. Knitters who love piecework - or have a child in the family who loves teddies - will find many hours of enjoyable knitting working on an entire wardrobe for a special teddy. These are clothes that will be cherished for years to come. A 3-6 month outfit and matching teddy outfit would make a wonderful gift for the mom-to-be, too! 50 Baby Bootees to Knit Zoe Mellor 50 Baby Bootees to Knit is a winner from start to finish! For veteran knitters, the sheer range of bootees in this collection is exciting and inspiring. Knitters can choose from plain, fair isle, cabled, Mary Jane-style, sock-style, intarsia, strapped, cuffed, and laced bootees, just to name a few. For new knitters, bootees are a perfect project because they're small, quick to finish, practical, and adorable! These bootees will make perfect shower gifts for mom's to be - or, if mom-to-be is learning to knit, the book would be wonderful paired with needles and yarn to make her first pair. We were especially enchanted by the Anchor Bootees, Polka-Dot Socks, Gingham Shoes, Pirate Boots, Zebra Bootees, Bee Shoes, Heart T-Bar Shoes, Stripy Shoes, Polka-Dot Shoes, Lace and Diamond Bootees, Fish Bootees, Tiger Bootees, and Fair Isle Shoes. But truth be told, we loved them all! Only a few of the designs did we feel we had seen in previous Mellor titles on our shelves. But that's okay. Having a collection of this size under one cover is a jewel among knitting titles. With 110 color photos and projects involving a range of techniques and stitches, without a doubt 50 Baby Bootees to Knit has the makings of being the definitive collection of bootees for years to come. One small thing to note is that many of these patterns are given for 1 size only, so plan what you want to make "when" carefully so that the recipient can grow into a new pair as she's growing out of another! But, a very handy feature is the "size chart" on the back of the book which allows you to measure a baby's foot to gauge which size pattern you need to make. Also, knitters will appreciate the spiral binding (inside an enclosed hard cover) for laying the book open flat.