My mother will tell you that I had a complete set of Golden Books by the age of 1-1/2. Thus began my love affair with the written word, stories (loads of fairy tales), and books themselves. Making books. Writing books. Designing books. A passion for typography. I can still remember my library card number that I got when we moved to Nantucket in 1962! Reading has kept me company, kept me up all nite, passed the time, inspired me to write my own stories, and been a dear, dear friend. Here follows a work-in-progress list of some books that relate to this blog and/or are the published works of friends. Check back again for additions and updates.
Books Authored by Friends
Out in the Garden by Dean Riddle. This is Dean’s story and one of my favorite reads — probably because I’m so crazy about him! He picked me up hitchhiking during the summer he worked as a private gardener on a Nantucket estate in the late 70’s. We’ve been friends ever since.
Gluten-Free Baking: More Than 125 Recipes for Delectable Sweet and Savory Baked Goods, Including Cakes, Pies, Quick Breads, Muffins, Cookies, and Other Delights by Rebecca Reilly. Rebecca made a point of stopping in at The Daily Count, my specialty diet food grocery store that featured gluten-free products, while visiting New England several years ago. And the rest is history, as the saying goes. We made friends immediately and I like to promote her beautifully illustrated (with mouth-watering photos) book whenever the opportunity presents itself. If you’re gluten-intolerant or gluten-sensitive and thought that the days of elegant pastries were long gone, take a look at this book and think again.
The Place He Made by Edie Clark. The poignant true-story of Edie’s husband – their marriage, his illness, and passing. Edie is a staff editor at Yankee Publishing. She was very kind to me when I was a lowly editorial assistant.
Here and Nowhere Else by Jane Brox. This is the first of three books Jane has penned about life on the (disappearing) farm. Jane and I worked side-by-side at a Nantucket pizza joint in the 70’s. At the time, she was learning Italian so that she could read Dante’s Inferno in its original language! Jane takes narrative memoir to a poetic level. Beautiful.
Woven Shibori by Catherine Ellis. Catherine was my weaving instructor at Haywood Technical College. She was a great mentor. She’s still there, so if you’ve got a hankering to learn how to weave, her program is the best! I’ve got an itch to get back to the dye pot and look forward to having time and space for another loom.
A trip to New Orleans eight years ago has turned into a cookbook with a twist. Alexandria Hayes’ Zydeco Shoes: A Sensory Tour of Cajun Culture includes authentic Cajun recipes and vivid paintings by Earl Hebert, a self-taught artist from New Orleans. Alex and I crossed paths while working in the marketing division of an educational catalog company. In fact, we were both on a trade show business trip to New Orleans when she first fell in love with Mr. Hebert’s work.
Fiber Fiction
Knitting by Anne Bartlett. I loved the characters in this book, and of course, the knitting sounded fabulous!
All of the Elm Creek Quilts novels by Jennifer Chiaverini. Fun, friendly, entertaining, nice mental visuals, endearing characters that return again and again, with some new ones, too.
… more to come … gotta raid the bookshelves
I want to read the Elm Creek Quilt series! I love that you’re listing books I might not otherwise venture into. My mother taught me to read at age four and a half and I’ve been at it ever since. My dearest closest friends are my books. Okay, that almost sounds sad, but you know what I mean.