La photo de la semaine

Friday, 31 May 2013

Pour AMARTIA

Juste parfaite !

En fermant les volets je la vois, et comme depuis toujours elle me fascine, vite je l'immortalise avant qu'elle ne se cache derrière le cyprès !

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AMITIES

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Stray Shopping Carts at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA)

Thursday, 30 May 2013

Thirteen of my Stray Shopping Cart pieces are in a group shoe called Stocked: Contemporary Art from the Grocery Aisles at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA). It is a traveling exhibit that originated at the Ulrich Museum in Wichita. This is the curatorial statement:

Stocked: Contemporary Art from the Grocery Aisles presents the work of contemporary artists who, directly and indirectly, take the grocery store and consumption of its products as their subjects. In contrast to historic pop’s celebration of everyday consumption, they note the seductive aesthetic appeal of commercial products with degrees of uneasiness. Using a variety of styles and media, they keenly and cleverly interrogate not only the grocery items we purchase, but also the physical and psychological environments in which we shop, the individuals and social frameworks we encounter there, and the cultural norms that inform our habits of consumption.

There are some big names in the show including Sonny Assu, Scott Blake, Louis Cameron, Hillary Carlip, Adriane Herman
, David Hilliard, Damien Hirst, Christian Jankowski, Karyn Olivier
Lucy + Jorge Orta, Jonathan Seliger, Store Buyout: Matt Fidler, Jody Gnant, Hal Kirkland, Kyle MacDonald, and Gary Lachance, Brian Ulrich, Rachel Perry Welty, and  Andy Warhol.

There is also a nicely designed catalog. It is available on Amazon.

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New Faux Work 1

Larson Clark/Arachnologos, 2013. Digital pigment print, 37 x 18 inches / 94 x 46 cm.

Larson Clark/Arachnologos, 2013. Digital pigment print, 37 x 18 inches / 94 x 46 cm.

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Cookbooks

This week's topic for The Book Chat is Cookbooks!

I love buying cookbooks. We cook a lot at home and I'm always looking out for new vegan recipes. I'll go through phases where all I want to do is cook healthy, vegan food so having cookbooks in my kitchen is a necessity. We used to have a lot more before I was vegetarian, but have since cleared out our collection to better suit my diet. I go back and forth from vegan to vegetarian (unfortunately, I really like cheese and ice cream despite my allergy to dairy), so we have cookbooks for both.

I want to share three of my favourites with you: two of them are staples in our kitchen, whereas the third is really fun (and beautifully illustrated).

I love the vegan cookbook series by Sarah Kramer (a couple titles are co-authored with Tanya Barnard). I received La Dolce Vegan! as a gift when I first turned to a vegetarian diet and I haven't looked back since.  I purchased How it all Vegan! on a whim and I have every intention of buying the rest of her cookbooks. I have never been disappointed by the recipes I've tried. Some of them, like the sweet potato and black bean burritos, the breakfast tofu scramble, the kale and peanut butter pasta, and the chickpea salad have become go-to meals in our kitchen.

They Draw & Cook is a gorgeous book. Every two-page spread is a new recipe, illustrated in a distinctive style. I could look through this book and take in all of the details for hours. To be honest, I've never attempted any of the recipes (although some of them sound delicious). The cookbook is a compilation of the illustrations posted online, so you can visit theydrawandcook.com to see how awesome these recipes really are (like the one below for Monster's Favourite Pumpkin Soup).

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Volumes from an Imagined Intellectual History of Animals, Architecture and Man at Galerie Toutou Chic, Metz, France / June 19

One of the reasons my blogging has slowed down recently is that I have been working on new faux books and posters for an upcoming show at Galerie Toutou Chic in Metz, France (June 19). The exhibit will include 39 of my faux books, 10 posters and 5 record covers. I'll be posting them here over the next few days. If you don't want to wait you can see the whole series, old and new here.

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Daily Book Graphics #1344

Wednesday, 29 May 2013

©1978 / Pictured Key Nature Series

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On the Shelf: The Golem and the Jinni

THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI | HELENE WECKER | HARPERCOLLINS | APRIL 2013

An immigrant tale that combines elements of Jewish and Arab folk mythology, Helene Wecker's dazzling debut novel tells the story of two supernatural creatures who arrive separately in New York in 1899. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life to by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master-the husband who commissioned her-dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York harbor in 1899. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free-an unbreakable band of iron around his wrist binds him to the physical world. Meeting by chance, Chava and Ahmad become unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing nature-until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful threat will soon bring the Golem and the Jinni together again, challenging their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

If you like magical realism, then you're going to love this book. Wecker's story weaves two unforgettable lives together in a way that makes these supernatural characters more human than the real people inhabiting New York in 1899.

The golem, Chava, wants more than anything to fit in. She's able to hear the desires of those around her - without their knowledge - and she struggles to act like she doesn't know any better. Chava's nature is to serve a master and it's torturous to know what people want and not be able to help. On the other hand, the jinni, Ahmad, wants to be free. He doesn't want to be anything like the humans around him. Instead, he'd much rather be back in the desert without the confines of an iron band and a human form.

The Golem and the Jinni tells the story of these two characters and how their unlikely friendship changes their hopes and dreams. Wecker also introduces a handful of secondary characters - mostly all human - that have equally as compelling stories. We're taken back in time to learn the history of the jinni and how he came to be lying naked on the floor of a metalsmith's shop and are lucky enough to know the story of the golem from the moment of her creation.

The novel continuously changes direction as the golem and the jinni's struggles affect the other characters. The story is told at a quick pace, especially with the amount of characters involved, and the prose has a simple and magical quality to it. This is an incredible debut.

Chava and Ahmad are quite opposite in personality, but as we learn more about them - and they rely more on one another to navigate the human world - we discover that one could not exist without the other. The Golem and the Jinni is a beautiful story about wanting to fit in and yet needing to be unique... with a touch of magic thrown in to weave the tale together.

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Daily Book Graphics #1343

Tuesday, 28 May 2013

©1979 / Pictured Key Nature Series

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The 8 List: Nature

#1  EATING ANIMALS by Jonathan Safran Foer

Food. Animal rights. Subtly vegan.

#2  PILGRIM AT TINKER CREEK by Annie Dillard

Frogs. Seclusion. Observation.

#3  ROUGHING IT IN THE BUSH by Susanna Moodie

Canada. Settlers. Struggle.

#4  THE LIVES OF ROCKS by Rick Bass

Reflections. Pagans. Connection.

#5  WALDEN by Henry David Thoreau

Spirituality. Self-reliance. The woods.

#6  THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA by Michael Pollan

Processed food. Organic food. Farming.

#7  INTO THE WILD by Jon Krakauer

Survival. Alaska. Self-discovery.

#8  RED by Terry Tempest Williams

Desert. Kinship. Politics vs. spirituality.

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Daily Book Graphics #1342

Monday, 27 May 2013

©1978 / Pictured Key Nature Guide

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Preview to Summer Book Swap

It's finally time to reveal our book care packages! First, a huge thank you to all of the co-hosts for organizing this awesome swap. It has been great reading everyone's posts for the weekly link-ups and I hope everyone received some great new reads (and made some new friends)!

I was paired up with Kim from The Simplicity and I really enjoyed getting to know her better over these last few weeks. We exchanged some great emails - about books, yes, but also about life in general. She's a great girl and you'll be doing yourself a favour if you go check out her blog.

I was so excited when my book care package arrived in the mail! Kim and I kept everything a surprise, so I had no idea what to expect. She put together a great parcel! Everything was wrapped in a gorgeous silver wrapping paper that isn't pictured here because my Mom - visiting for the week - threw it out before I had a chance to take pictures.

The notecard Kim sent is adorable and she left a great message inside, including her reasoning behind all three of the books she sent me (yes, three)! She spoiled me. Kim chose three completely different books and I haven't read any before, so I have happily added them to my giant to-read pile.

Aside from the books, she also sent a small notebook (you can never have enough notebooks) with an awesome zebra pattern and three of her unique birds nest pendants!

A huge thank you to Kim for being a great swap partner! I truly appreciate the time and care you put into finding the books and putting together the other items for my parcel. I'm going to go read now. ;)

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Images douces

Un thé entre amis dans une délicieuse atmosphère cosy à SAINT-VALERY-EN-CAUX ... 

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Une très jolie adresse ...

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Oui, oui je me suis laissée tenter ...

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Bon d'accord, mais le thé a été plus que bienvenu !!!

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Images "volées" au die SWAENS, l'hôtel le plus romantique de BRUGES

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De ravissants coussins dans une boutique de rêve ...

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Et enfin douce quiétude chez Nathalie ...

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C'est avec ces quelques images, que je vous souhaite une jolie semaine, ensoleillée si possible !

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The Sunday News (05.26)

Sunday, 26 May 2013

A weekly collection of storytelling links.

Best enjoyed with coffee or tea on your Sunday morning, afternoon, or evening.

→  What a scandal! Stephen King's new book will only be available in print. [x]

→  J.K. Rowling's handmade spreadsheet for Order of the Phoenix is a spectacular glimpse into the mind of an author with a work-in-progress. [x]

→  Times Haiku features short poems from New York Times articles. Awesome. [x]

→  Introducing Kindle Worlds: a digital publishing platform for fanfiction. [x]

→  The Echo Project is one of the most innovative marketing ideas in Canadian publishing. [x]

→  Sara Shepard, writer of the Pretty Little Liars book series, shares her advice on how to write more. [x]

→  The finalists of Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award 2013. [x]

→  If you haven't tried Gizoogle yet, then click on the link and search for your Twitter handle. [x]

→  Infographic: The 5 Paths of Book Publishing. [x]

→  Five ways to turn your Twitter page into a book. [x]

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Bonne Fête Maman

Saturday, 25 May 2013

Bonne Fête ma douce et tendre Maman ...

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(image du net)

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(image du net)

Très beau dimanche à vous qui passez ...

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La photo de la semaine

Friday, 24 May 2013

Pour AMARTIA

Ce que le Mistral fait aux roses !

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Des "Jubilé Prince de Monaco" !  Aucun respect ...

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AMITIES

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Daily Book Graphics #1341

©1979 / Pictured Key Nature Guide 

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Daily Book Graphics #1340

Thursday, 23 May 2013

©1979 / Pictured Key Nature Guide 

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The New Adult Trend

One of the biggest conversation topics in publishing right now is the new adult categorization of books. I'm not sure where the trend started - if it was a decision from industry insiders to better market growing readers or if those readers demanded a new category to call their own or, most likely, if it was a combination of the two - but everyone has a bold opinion on the subject.

There has been a lot of backlash towards new adult. The biggest criticism has been from those who define new adult as "young adult with porn." However, steps are being made to show that the category will be really important to the future of publishing. Authors are writing it, Amazon and Publisher's Marketplace now have it listed as a category, and new adult shelves are appearing in bookstores.

The thing is, new adult has always existed. Novels for young adults existed before "YA" was a thing and novels featuring characters moving on from their teenage days have always been available, whether or not people are ready to accept new adult as a category. 

I tweeted about a local (Canadian) bookstore's new new adult shelf and there were a lot of people interested in what the store decided to include in the section. This bookshelf had approximately 30 titles (all facing out) with the label "New Adult" very clear. It was part of the general fiction section - the children's and YA books were on the other side of the store, so it made a bold transition from YA to NA.

I'm not going to post a picture of the shelf (I was almost kicked out of the store for taking it, to be honest), but I'll list some of the books included in the section to give you an idea of what one bookstore is considering new adult material. I was surprised by some of the books (taken from both general fiction and YA).

• WARM BODIES by Isaac Marion
• NOUGHTIES by Ben Masters
• MY SISTER'S KEEPER by Jodi Picoult
• THE AGE OF MIRACLES by Karen Thompson Walker
• THE OFFICE OF MERCY by Ariel Djanikian
• HOW I PAID FOR COLLEGE by Marc Acito
• EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED by Jonathan Safran Foer
• NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro
• LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA by Gabriel García Márquez
• TRAINSPOTTING by Irvine Welsh
• The FIONAVAR TAPESTRY by Guy Gavriel Kay
• EVERY LITTLE THING by Chad Pelley
• Y by Marjorie Celona

Let me know what you think of the choices: Do they belong in a new adult category?

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Daily Book Graphics #1339

Wednesday, 22 May 2013

©1979 / Pictured Key Nature Guide 

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On the Shelf: Fables

FABLES (SERIES) | BILL WILLINGHAM | VERTIGO | 2002 - PRESENT

When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters have created their own peaceful and secret society within an exclusive luxury apartment building called Fabletown. But when Snow White's party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it is up to Fabletown's sheriff, a reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf (Bigby Wolf), to determine if the killer is Bluebeard, Rose's ex-lover and notorious wife killer, or Jack, her current live-in boyfriend and former beanstalk-climber.

I've been reading the Fables series for a couple of years now (I'm late to the series and I've been slowly making my way through the volumes - I was too late to buy the individual comics and I'm one of those people who needs to have a complete collection). I recently finished the 15th volume, Rose Red, and I loved it so much that I decided it was time to share the series with those of you who haven't read it before.

If you've never read comics or graphic novels before, this is the perfect series to start with. Especially if you like fairy tales. Willingham's series weaves fairy tale life into modern day New York and gives a realistic backstory to all of your favourite childhood characters. You'll love some and really hate others (seriously, Prince Charming is a smarmy bastard).

Every volume in this series has been a great read. The most recent volume I read focused on the backstory of Snow White and Rose Red. I generally like the issues that explain the history of the fairy tale characters (I'm a big fan of folklore), but the "modern day" events are equally as compelling.

I highly recommend giving this series a try. Reading the first volume won't take any time at all and you may just get yourself hooked. It's a necessary read for all children at heart who want to explore adult issues. Warning: this series is not for children.

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En passant

Un peu de sa Normandie dans mon Sud ...

Merci Nathalie pour ce superbe cadeau ...

J'espère qu'il y a du soleil dans les Pouilles !

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(chez moi )

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(chez elle)

Le temps me file entre les doigts, petits-enfants, travaux au jardin, je n'arrive plus à être présente sur mon blog autant que je le voudrais ...

Le Pierre de Ronsard est sublime cette année ... quelques roses en partage ...

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Plus d'espace et de lumière pour le coin piscine ...

(les balustres ont retrouvé une place au jardin ...)

Vivement les beaux jours !

(il y a du soleil mais le fond de l'air est frais !)

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Une envie de blanc, de douceur, de plumetis, voilà ... c'est fait !

AMITIES

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