The Maroon Diaries

I dabbled in many forms of visual arts during my youth, but I didn't discover the one that really captured my heart until I was about 26 years old. It was quite an auspicious beginning, really. I was modelling for a life drawing class. We were in an art studio, and there were several art books generally lying around. I was holding a 20 minute pose when I found myself facing a stack of books on a table. Anyone who has ever done life modelling will know what it's like to have a single perspective of a particular space for an extended period of time. Mostly, it's really boring. And so, of course, I made the effort to read the titles from my almost-upside down sideways perspective (relative to the books, not the floor. I was just standing there. It was the books that were askew.) One title really intrigued me. It was Altered Books Workshop by Bev Brazelton . I couldn't wait for the break so I could look at the book. And the few minutes I had to flip through that book tu...

Hello and welcome to my annual Reckoning of the Books! Since Moonwave 's excellent comment on last year's Year in Books , I have discovered Goodreads and joined up, so you can see a really, really long list of books if you check out my profile there . And here, each title on my list links to that book's page on Goodreads, so you can find out what kind of a book it is pretty quickly. In some cases, where the author has their own website or blog, I've linked the author's name to their home sites. 1. Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie 1990 2. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith 2013 3. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver 2007 4. Whole Larder Love by Rohan Anderson 2012 5. Opal - The Journal of an Understanding Heart by Opal Whiteley 1920, adapted by Jane Boulton 1976 (re-read) 6. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman 2007 7. The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris 2007 8. Peaches for Monsieur le Cure...