Tuesday, December 30, 2008

a land of plenty


I’ve heard a number of sad statements regarding books at this seasonal time of year.  People saying they have never given or received a book as a present, and that books number among the most unwanted presents.

To redress that balance I bagged a bumper haul from under my tree this year.  Family and friends may tire of wrapping flat rectangles but they know what will make me happy.  

A little something for the many corners of my reading personality, plenty of pages to dip into through the year ahead.

  • Drawing Matters - Jane Stobart
  • The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - Betty Edwards
  • ABC 3d - Marion Bataille
  • 4000 Animal, Bird and Fish Motifs : A Sourcebook - Graham McCallum
  • Bird by Bird : Some Instructions on Writing and Life - Anne Lamott
  • 52 Projects : Random Acts of Everyday Creativity - Jeffrey Yamaguchi
  • The Haiku Anthology - CVD Heuvel
  • Crow Country - Mark Cocker
  • A Prickly Affair : My Life with Hedgehogs - Hugh Warwick
  • Tossed : 200 Fast, Fresh and Fabulous Salads
  • Vegetable Heaven : Sensational Seasonal Vegetarian Cooking - Mason & Abramson
  • The Virago Book of Love Letters
  • Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales 
  • The Penguin Book of Classical Myths - Jenny March

This morning I also received a copy of The Art of Being Dead by Stephen Clayton.  I have no idea where it came from or who sent it.  I don’t recall asking for it, or ordering it, but I’m very pleased to give it a home as I’ve read a lot about it and want to read it.  What a pleasant surprise!  They say money doesn’t grow on trees, but this morning it almost felt like books did!