Favorite Books list

I've added another item in the side bar: Favorite Books.  I have many and of all kinds.  I'm an eclectic reader, everything from Superman Comics to Umberto Eco, with Patricia Highsmith and Agatha Christie thrown in between.  I read daily, usually at breakfast and in bed at night.  If I have lunch alone at the studio I also read then.  I try to discipline myself to only read "studio" topics when at work--art or design books, magazines like Fiberarts and Surface Design Journal, books about creativity, weaving technique or catalogs of fiber exhibits.  I don't always succeed--sometimes another book demands attention while I'm at the studio... like the one I just finished yesterday.  That was Nancy Peacock's book of essays, A Broom of One’s Own: Words on Writing, Housecleaning, and Life.  But really, Nancy's book falls into the category that I allow in the studio:  inspiration.


I met Nancy in May at the Silvia Heyden visit at Silvia's Durham, NC home and studio.  As we chatted I learned she is an author and also we were both teaching in back-to-back weeks at John Campbell Folk School later in the summer.  Nancy was teaching a writing class; my class was tapestry.  We both mentioned we'd like to take each other's class but our schedules didn't work out that time around.  After finishing Nancy's book,  I'll surely try to make the timing work for the next time she's there to teach a class!


So--I'm starting my list of favorite books with Nancy's.  It's a wonderful description of persistence of creative drive.  Nancy writes with humor and ethos about her journey into her writing life.  I savored every essay in this book.  Now, on to Amazon to order her two novels!