Archive for the ‘cool stuff’ category
May 15, 2021
Morgan Harper Nichols has a marvelous new book How Far You Have Come which was just released a few weeks ago.
I talked about her All Along You Were Blooming book here a few months back, and I’m just as excited and enthusiastic about this new book. 
New stories, prose, poems, and illustrations by an exceptionally talented author and artist.
AND HERE ARE MORE PLACES TO FIND WONDERFUL BOOKS & TERRIFIC WRITINGS ABOUT BOOKS …
Reese Witherspoon has some great selections over at Reese’s Book Club (and an app too!). I am also especially fond of the marvelously thoughtful Brain Pickings by Maria Popova, Austin Kleon’s brilliant and eclectic weekly newsletter and blog, AND: Elizabeth Gilbert’s new Onward book club as sources of sharing a wide wealth of writings and books. Well worth being on their mailing lists.
That’s it for now, other than a plea to support local independent booksellers whenever you can—these intrepid entrepreneurs have made the publishing world go round for a long long time and are essential nooks of civilization and creative caffeine everywhere!
What are you reading now? Would love to hear what’s on your nightstand table or in your book bag or e-reader if you want to share in the comments. And if not, that’s cool too. To be here to celebrate books and reading is enough. See you most likely next Saturday … I’ve taken some extra time recently to just read, write, get vaccinated, be grateful, make some art, and just enjoy being as well as being out and about a bit more. Sending reading smiles and book hooray thanks to everyone checking in at The Saturday Book Shop. 📚
“A book is a present you can open again and again.”
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Categories: Books, cool stuff, favorite things, inspiration, little luxuries, love, making a difference, poetry, Sunday Inspiration, wonderful ideas, writing
Tags: book, book clubs, book lovers, Books, Morgan Harper Nichols
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April 10, 2021
April is National Poetry Month. This is the 25th Anniversary of the Academy of American Poets celebration of the meaningful role poets and poetry play in our culture, our dreams, and our inspirations. It has become the largest literary celebration in the world with readers, writers, publishers, educators, librarians, and anyone who loves the written word uplifting the importance of poetry in helping us see life anew.
I thought I would share a couple of books from a poet I greatly admire: Diane di Prima, a legendary feminist Beat Generation poet and activist. To quote Allen Ginsberg, she was “… a learned humorous bohemian, classically educated and twentieth-century radical, her writing, informed by Buddhist equanimity, is exemplary in imagist, political and mystical modes. A great woman poet in the second half of the American century, she broke barriers of race–class identity, delivered a major body of verse brilliant in it particularity. — Allen Ginsberg”
Pieces of A Song is one of my favorite Diane di Prima books. It contains her Poems from Loba series as well as so many other gems, such as Rant, in which she reminds us in her bold caps refrain:
The Poetry Deal (San Francisco Poet Laureate Series, 7) is a collection of poems and personal reflections on her 40 years in the Bay Area, which became her home after moving to San Francisco from New York in the 1960s.
My ongoing thanks to Rob Brezsny, author of Pronoia: the Antidote to Paranoia—How the Whole World is Conspiring to Shower You With Blessings for introducing my the poetry of Diane di Prima via his weekly email news and vivid writings.
I’ve also written here about favorite Mary Oliver poetry books.
May April be a month of rediscovering your favorite poems, exploring new poets like Morgan Harper Nichols, or jotting down some lines of your own poetry or a brief haiku.
POETRY ALL AROUND
Poetry is an ongoing gift whether you’re reading it, writing it, or being inspired by it. I was delighted to find a list of collage prompts drawn from lines of poetry last month on Instagram, which both helped rekindle my collage joys, and also brought a talented new poet to my attention, Nayyirah Waheed, who has written a book called salt.
“remember,
you were a writer
before
you ever
put
pen to paper.
just because you were not writing
externally.
does not mean you were not writing
internally.”
― Nayyirah Waheed
You’ll find poetry I’ve written over the years scattered throughout the posts here on this blog, as well as included in several books published recently, including these titles which are filled with visual poetry in the form of amazing art and fabulous photography. Was thrilled to be a part of both of these books:
Beyond the Surface: Art, Discovery, Healing and Transformation by Chantal e.y. Bethel
Exumas: The Kingdom of Blue by photographer Alessandro Sarno
Here’s to poetic days! Would love to hear about any of your favorite poets or books of poetry or anything else you’re excited about reading.
Thanks for checking in here at The Saturday Book Shop. Hope you have a great weekend with time to read …enjoy and see you back next week!
A book is a present you can open again and again.
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Categories: art, Books, collage, cool stuff, favorite things, inspiration, intriguing images, love, photography, poetry, quotes, Sunday Inspiration, The Bahamas, wonderful ideas, writing
Tags: academy of american poets, Alessandro Sarno, Allen Ginsberg, april, Beat poets, Beyond the Surface by Chantal Bethel, book, Books, diane di prima, exumas, mary oliver, Morgan Harper Nichols, national poetry month, nayyirah waheed, pieces of a song, poetry, poets, quote, Rob Brezsny, San Francisco poet laureate 2009, the poetry deal
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April 3, 2021
I am in awe of Bisa’s Butler’s art. Her work creates stunning and powerful portraits made from myriad vibrant fabrics and patterns, cut and stitched together with meaning and a depth that almost defies description. Her portraits speak of a multitude of life layers, generations, and experiences that are expertly woven into a new picture both moving and mesmerizing in its depth and humanity.
Bisa Butler—Portraits was published in conjunction with an exhibit by the same name that opened at the Art Institute of Chicago last fall, and where it continues through September 6, 2021.
The catalogue is exquisitely done. 96 beautiful pages of Butler’s incredible art, along with wonderful essays focusing on her influences, process, and stories held within the individual art pieces. Printed in Italy. Hardbound. This book leaves you feeling as if you almost got to be at the exhibit. Always better to get to see original art in person, but this book brings me closer, and I’m grateful for it during this time.
Bisa Butler’s work is a treasure. This catalogue captures both the intricacies of her art and how her work illuminates the family album of humanity.
Thank you for being here at The Saturday Book Shop for a few minutes during this holiday weekend amidst Easter — Passover — and Springtime celebrations of the Revival and Renewal of The Spirit. Hallelujah! ❤️🙏🏼❤️
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Categories: art, Books, collage, cool stuff, design, favorite things, inspiration, intriguing images, love, making a difference, photography, Sunday Inspiration, wonderful ideas, writing
Tags: art catalogue, Art Institute of Chicago, Bisa Butler, Bisa Butler exhibition, Bisa Butler—Portraits, black lives, book, fabric art, family album, humanity, portraits, textile art
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March 27, 2021
The Art of Aliveness: A Creative Return to What Matters Most is a new book by Flora Bowley, who taught me, via her Bloom True online course, about intuitive painting back in 2014.
Just released a few days ago, this book is about way more than painting. The stories she tells here are personal and leave me feeling as if I’ve just had a chance to sit in on one of her sought-after in-person workshops!
The timing on this book couldn’t be better as we all have this pause in the world to reflect more deeply on the underpinnings of creating a joy-filled life. Filled with prompts and exercises as well as generosity and vulnerability, this book applies the soulful “Be Bold. Let Go. Unfold” mantra into memorable lessons of discovery for forging your own empowered path of fulfillment. She shares her insights into moving effortlessly between both structure and free-flowing freedom—a fluid trust forged in strengthening intuition and self understanding.
Flora Bowley has been a pivotal part of my own creative journey and I adore her work PLUS the way her practice of creativity flows through every aspect of her life. She taught me about layers. She taught me about contrasts. She taught me there’s no wasted paint. And that’s especially important moving forward as the layers of time are brushed on.
I can already tell this will be a read-and-reread kinda book favorite. I’m still learning. We’re all still learning and discovering and can use reminders of what we already know. The wisdom, pain, inspiration, renewal, and permission-giving Flora shares here encourages connection, reconnection, and living by creative wellness, whether you paint or not.
Here’s wishing everyone green new days of Spring sunshine, a beautiful full moon this Sunday, smooth vaccinations, a wonderful Passover, a Happy Palm Sunday, and paperbacks like this one by Flora that you can take along to read on your next walk, picnic, or pause by the water.
Always happy to hear what’s on your reading table right now or any book club favorites you’re enjoying.
Thanks for being here and see you back next week at The Saturday Book Shop.
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Categories: art, Books, cool stuff, favorite things, inspiration, intriguing images, making a difference, Sunday Inspiration, wonderful ideas, writing
Tags: artist of life, book, Books, brave intuitive painting, connection, creativity, Flora Bowley, the Art of Aliveness, what matters most
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March 20, 2021
I haven’t actually been reading much beyond a chapter here and there lately. I’ve been happily working on creating some new art in a creative collage challenge on Instagram the past few weeks. Am enjoying it very much, and will look forward to maybe starting a new novel after that. Here’s the one I have in mind … it’s one you might have heard about as it’s a New York Times bestseller:
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah.
“The Four Winds seems eerily prescient in 2021 . . . Its message is galvanizing and hopeful: We are a nation of scrappy survivors. We’ve been in dire straits before; we will be again. Hold your people close.”—The New York Times
“Through one woman’s survival during the harsh and haunting Dust Bowl, master storyteller, Kristin Hannah, reminds us that the human heart and our Earth are as tough, yet as fragile, as a change in the wind.” —Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing.
Will look forward to reading this soon—the setting and storyline does indeed seem quite timely. In the meantime, have been getting reacquainted with my Devotions poetry book by Mary Oliver (a favorite!), and discovering a new poet named Nayyirah Waheed (author of Salt), whose wonderful writings I was introduced to via the collage challenge (as the prompts this month are based on excerpts from poems).
Happy Spring Equinox All. 🦋 Would love to hear what you’re reading, or what you’re doing when you’re not! The shift in time and seasons are upon us with a new moon arriving for an emotional reset and fresh new energy … enjoy & Happy Sunday!!🍍
written across the sky digital collage by paula boyd farrington © 2021
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Categories: art, Books, collage, cool stuff, favorite things, inspiration, intriguing images, poetry, quotes, Sunday Inspiration, wonderful ideas, writing
Tags: book, Books, collage, kristin hannah, mary oliver, nayyirah waheed, novel, nytimes bestseller, poetry, reading, salt, spring equinox, the four winds
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March 6, 2021
I love this book any time, but especially on International Women’s Day.
She Caused a Riot: 100 Unknown Women Who Built Cities, Sparked Revolutions, and Massively Crushed It by Hannah Jewell.
This book is witty, wise, WONDERFUL. Can’t recommend it enough. Amazing stories about women doing all sorts of things we didn’t know about because they were too often left out of the history books. Hannah Jewell is a terrific writer. Funny. Empowering. Memorable. She’s created a totally bad ass tribute to forgotten women throughout history. Mega-inspiring. And laugh out loud funny.
The hot pink and electric chartreuse green drew me to the cover when I found this right after it was published 3 years ago. The stories and bold perspective kept me coming back to this book again and again for reminders about women who fearlessly and fully lived life. Colorful. Bold. Satirical and insightful. In the best possible ways. A little shocking. A whole lot enlightening.
Shake up your bookshelf.
Hope to see you back next week at The Saturday Book Shop, which is published pretty much every Saturday talking about books I like. Love to hear from you in the comments about books you like and/or any page-turners you’re reading these days.
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Tags: and Massively Crushed it, book, Books, Hannah Jewell, history, International Women's Day 2021, She Caused a Riot: 100 Unknown Women Who Built Cities, Sparked Revolutions, unknown women, women
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February 27, 2021
Small Wonder is a collection of essays by one of my all-time favorite authors: Barbara Kingsolver. This collection of essays was originally published in 2002 and written in response to the tragedy of September 11th, 2001. Still, it feels quite timely in trying to wrap our hearts and minds around the unique challenges facing all of us today … holding fast to the little moments of life and love that make up the big picture—and making our natural inclination to hold hope and light more bearable, more together, even when we’re apart and it sometimes feels as if so much has shifted.
is
I’ve only just discovered this book. I thought I knew all the books this author had written, yet finding it now just underscores the notion that we all get a glimpse of when being led to a book or re-reading a book: that it finds its way to us at just the right time and in just the right way to fully receive the precious stories it holds. Barbara Kingsolver’s unique way of capturing moments of loss as well as laughter—amidst the dailiness of myriad mundane miracles that often lead to the grandest ongoing hopes and resolve—makes her essays, novels, and non-fiction a complete joy to read. They’re inspiring like a glimpse of an early-rising wide full moon on a clear bright night. Thank you, Barbara Kingsolver, for writing, and for continuing to write.
The royalties from this book support the work of Physician’s for Social Responsibility, Habitat for Humanity, Environmental Defense, and the humanitarian aid project called Heifer International. The copy of the book I’m showing above is a hardcover copy. Paperback is also available (with a different cover).
From my bookshelf to yours … Happy Reading!
Would love to hear in the comments if you’re finding time to read these days and any titles that have caught your attention or favorites you’re re-reading.
Look forward to seeing you back next week at The Saturday Book Shop
!
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Categories: collage, cool stuff, favorite things, inspiration, intriguing images, little luxuries, love, making a difference, nature, Sunday Inspiration, wonderful ideas, writing
Tags: Barbara Kingsolver, Books, essays, inspiration, saturday book shop, Small Wonder book
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February 20, 2021
The words of Morgan Harper Nichols wrap you in gratitude, in grounded open empathy, in beauty, in heart song — and especially in hope.
All Along You Were Blooming: Thoughts for Boundless Living by Morgan Harper Nichols is one of those books you can pick up at any time of day, read a few pages, and come away with a perspective polished up with grace. As beautifully illustrated as it is written, these poems shine light through the bumps, the worries, the hard unknowns, the shadows, the joys & Love—as if her hand unfurled a prayer through the pages.
An artist, poet, and musician, Morgan Harper Nichols’ work touches the weary, the wisdom, and wonder of life. Her compassion and kindness beams through in her writings and art, and she quickly grew a devoted audience on Instagram. This book is a blessing. And Nichols has a new book, How Far You Have Come, slated for release in Spring 2021.
Morgan Harper Nichols has also just launched a phone app called Storyteller, that delivers daily messages of encouragement alongside beautiful original art. Enjoy the inspired talents of this extraordinary bestselling young author and artist. ❤️
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Tags: All Along You Were Blooming book, art, book, Books, hope, How Far You Have Come book, inspiration, Instagram, Morgan Harper Nichols, Nichols, original art by Morgan Harper, poems, poetry, The Saturday Book Shop, writing
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February 13, 2021
Most book stores do not have a section labelled “Simply Enchanting”, but they ought to, and this book definitely falls into that category of undefinable magic (mixed with true science) that will no doubt make it a contemporary classic for young readers—and everyone young at heart too.
The Snail with the Right Heart: A True Story by Maria Popova with illustrations by Ping Zhu is a children’s book that holds a fascinating story with down-to-earth wisdom alongside soaring wonder of the ages within its covers. (And if you’re a book printing/design geek like me, you’ll notice that not only the stunning pages, but even the end papers of the covers are delicately and brilliantly illustrated. The tiny details of book production, along with the inner workings of tiny gliding snails zing me.) Three years in the making, the book is quite timely, especially in these times:
“A love story, a time story, an invitation not to mistake difference for defect and to welcome, across the accordion scales of time and space, diversity as nature’s wellspring of resilience and beauty.” – Maria Popova
Maria Popova’s name is familiar if you’re a reader of her fabulous BrainPickings site where she mesmerizes us all with her passionate and poetic writings about all things books, art, design, poetry, music, marvels, philosophy: LIFE.
Popova is after my own heart here when she describes so wonderfully what I have long felt about the best of children’s books:
“Great children’s books move young hearts, yes, but they also move the great common heart that beats in the chest of humanity by articulating in the language of children, which is the language of simplicity and absolute sincerity, the elemental truths of being: what it means to love, what it means to be mortal, what it means to live with our fragilities and our frissons. As such, children’s books are miniature works of philosophy, works of wonder and wonderment that bypass our ordinary resistances and our cerebral modes of understanding, entering the backdoor of consciousness with their soft, surefooted gait to remind us who and what we are.” – Maria Popova
There’s more to Popova’s behind-the-scenes about writing this gem, as well as more photos of the gorgeous inside pages of the book here.
And while we’re on the subject of snails, and because it’s the day before Valentine’s, I’ll leave you with a little poem I wrote back in 2014 about embracing the spirit of snails and all they can teach us about unexpected blessings of perspective, whether we’re in full tilt hummingbird-heartbeat doings mode or embracing the reminders of slow and steady rhythms of just being that come our way … Happy Heart Day All! ❤️❤️❤️
OF SNAILS AND TRAILS
by Paula Boyd Farrington
I read about Totem Animals
whose essence shows The Way
The article said if you don’t know yours,
Be aware: it will somehow speak to you; show up during your day
And there you were
when I went out to the car
In plain view—a darling little snail
On the rear view mirror: driver’s side
Oh no, I groan …
I don’t want my totem to be a SNAIL!
Sluggish. Slow. Escargot.
No, thank you. No. Just … no.
But there you are again
In the evening dusk
climbing outside the kitchen window,
seemingly everywhere I look.
Oh my. Not what I wanted to see.
Why couldn’t I have glimpsed a National Geographic Gazelle?
A Lion. A Jaguar. A Hawk. A Flamingo!
Something powerful or exotic. Oh hell.
But there you are.
Carrying your likeness of a gratitude symbol
upon your mandala of a spiral shell,
your home right with you, wherever you may dwell.
Let me look closer, your antennae sweeping out
Stretching forward, inquisitively sensing the air
I watch you quietly know where you’re going,
on your own glossy path, climbing here and there.
Let me rethink this tiny powerhouse of Now
to warm to What Is
seeing anew the natural grace
In everything that lives.
This little snail is more than cute,
It fulfills an important role
Recycles organic matter,
Strong and steady it goes and goes.
And your giant ocean cousin?
All pink lipped with curvy shell,
known as an aphrodisiac,
her majesty feeds the islands well.
Named the Queen Conch.
She sometimes sports a pearl.
A royal snail in aqua seas
Classic beauty, a crown of whorls.
So can I embrace this totem tale?
As a celebration of gentler slower trails?
Of gliding along smoothly through time & tide?
The heart’s humble wisdom says: oh, snail—be mine! ❤️
Paula Boyd Farrington ©2014
Oh! And one last time-oriented p.s. … I had the pleasure of getting to create the art for the cover of this Exumas: The Kingdom of Blue coffee table book (and wrote a poem inside about my first flight to Exuma!). 
The book is filled with gorgeous photos by Alessandro Sarno, holding a reverent gaze on life in this beautiful chain of islands surrounded by some of the most stunning clear ocean waters anywhere. It’s perfect for anyone who loves The Bahamas or whose heart wants to visit. The publisher is offering a 20% discount through Valentine’s Weekend. Link to the site is here.
Enjoy & see you back next week at The Saturday Book Shop!
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Categories: art, Books, by the sea, cool stuff, design, favorite things, indescribable, inspiration, intriguing images, little luxuries, love, making a difference, nature, photography, poetry, quotes, Sunday Inspiration, The Bahamas, wonderful ideas, writing
Tags: book, Books, books for all ages, Brain Pickings, children's books, illustrations, Maria Popova, nature, Ping Zhu, science, snails, The Snail with the Right Heart: A True Story
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January 30, 2021
Just one exquisite little book today: The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris.
The simple majesty of this book gently opens your heart with quietly elegant poetry, rhyme, and riveting watercolors—an artful honoring of the natural world that is truly spellbinding in its sense of wonder.
I am admittedly writing this while still in the thrall of getting to stand in the glow of the recent Full Wolf Moon. Bathing in the moonbeams of the moment is akin to the celebration of language and devoted images attentively rendered here. I adore how the pages lift the spirit to the stars while keeping your feet firmly planted in the earth’s exceptional and softly soaring beauty and magic. An excerpt from the Introduction:
” … Loss is the tune of our age, hard to miss and hard to bear. Creatures, places and words disappear, day after day, year on year. But there has always been singing in dark times—and wonder is needed now more than ever. ‘To enchant’ means both to make magic and to sing out. So let these spells ring far and wide; speak their words and seek their art, let the wild world into your eyes, your voice, your heart.”
The Lost Spells is a “little sister” to 2017’s The Lost Words — another treasure by the same author and illustrator. There’s a delightful video interview with the author here (thanks to the fabulous Waterstones in London). In the video you can glimpse some of the amazing illustrations and hear select readings by Robert Macfarlane along with his thoughts and backstory in creating these inspiring works.
Thank you for visiting The Saturday Book Shop. So wonderful to get to share enthusiasms for books here (or in the comments if you wish).
AND A REMINDER OF OTHER WONDERFUL PLACES WHERE BOOKS ARE CELEBRATED
I am especially fond of the marvelously thoughtful Brain Pickings by Maria Popova, Austin Kleon’s brilliant and eclectic weekly newsletter and blog, and Elizabeth Gilbert’s new Onward book club as sources of sharing a wide wealth of writings and books. Well worth being on their mailing lists.
That’s it for now, other than a plea to support local independent booksellers whenever you can—these intrepid entrepreneurs have made the publishing world go round for a long long time and are essential nooks of civilization and creative caffeine everywhere!
Here’s to all the writers and artists and wonder-seekers who creatively lose themselves in the zone of conjuring natural-found joy and magic through their reverent gazes.
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Categories: art, Books, cool stuff, favorite things, indescribable, inspiration, intriguing images, making a difference, nature, poetry, quotes, wonderful ideas, writing
Tags: book, book lovers, Books, jackie morris, moon, moonbeams, natural magic, nature, nature's beauty, robert macfarlane, the lost spells, the lost words, The Saturday Book Shop
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Paula's Paradise 