books + zines

New York Magazine’s Low Lift Home Improvements for Under $100 INCLUDING Improvised Life’s Big Fat Idea

How swell to see Improvised Life mentioned in New York Magazine’s ’31 Low Lift Home Improvements for Under $100′ for our decoding of Donald Judd furniture. We got a lot of ideas for jazzing up our space….

Monks Pond, Thomas Merton’s Visionary Underground Magazine Meant “To Go Out of Business”

In the sixties, Trappist monk and mystic Thomas Merton published a magazine with a radical and artful mission. Here are some excerpts…

Oliver Sack’s On Meeting an Orangutan at the Toronto Zoo

One of the most remarkable stories in the late Oliver Sacks’ posthumously published book is about Sacks’ unexpected meeting with an orangutan while visiting the zoo. It describes Sacks “”a brilliant singularity”: his ability for showing us the big fat gifts to be found in the everyday. Perfection in 274 words.

W.S. Merwin’s Lines of Gratitude

This morning we opened our Collected Poems of W.S. Merwin to the poet counting blessings and expressing gratitude. Which we find ourselves doing as we read it.

Beth Moon’s Photographs of Ancient Trees Under Night Skies are Magic

Inspired by studies that view trees as receivers of stellar energies, photographer Beth Moon traveled to the world’s “last dark places” to photograph ancient trees at night, in color.

Listening to the Spirit of the Tools We Use (Tim McCreight)

In Tim McCreight’s The Complete Metalsmith, I was surprised to find poetic wisdom in his section about hand tools that apply to many kinds of tools we use in creative endeavors, sometimes even smart phones.

Alice B. Toklas’ Asparagus in Salt & Pepper Whipped Cream “A Thing of Beauty”

In her famous cookbook, Alice B.Toklas called Madame Loubet’s Asparagus Tips “a gastronomic feast. And a thing of beauty.” They are. Here’s how to make them.

Opened at Random: The Book of Joy “Setting an Intention for the Day”

Today we opened at random the Book of Joy, Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We found this…

‘When Everything in the World Has Been Lost But Soon We Will Find It Again’ (W.S. Merwin)

In his poetry, W.S. Merwin expressed what lies largely beyond our conscious mind, yet there, waiting to be recognized like this about the inbetween time before spring is fully apparent,

Opened at Random: A Field Guide to Getting Lost (How to Be Rich in Loss)

The other day, Lisa Morphew opened A Field Guide to Getting Lost to this (and then she sent it our way):

Opened at Random: All the Light We Cannot See (How Light Comes From Darkness)

This morning we opened at random All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr to this:

Opened at Random: Why We Sleep, Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

This morning we opened Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams at random and found this…

Opened at Random: A Guide to the I Ching “The Zig Zag Path of the Creative”

This morning we opened A Guide to the I Ching by Carole Anthony at random and found this…

Favorite Gifts I Love To Give

Late with my holiday preparations, I’m just wrapping my head around making food gifts as well as the few gifts I buy. Here’s are favorites that you still have time to order.

Topography of Tears: Like Aerial Views of Emotional Terrain

Looking at tears through a microscope, artist Rose-Lynn Fisher found no two alike, evidence of our inner life overflowing its boundaries, spilling over into consciousness.

Opened at Random: Flights (Olga Tokarczuk) “…the engine that drives changes”

This morning we opend Flights at random and found this…

Courage in a Bottle and Elsewhere…

Furnace Creek Farms clever elixer seems a fine way to get a dose of courage, which we need daily these days. If you can drink it, there are other ways to be reminded of the strength within.

Scraps, Wilt & Leaves: Sublime Trash Cooking with a Michelin Chef

I am inspired and smitten with Scraps, Wilt & Weeds: Turning Wasted Food into Plenty. Michelin star chef Mads Refslund weaves a powerful philosophy of ecology into his cooking that has led him to create gorgeous, do-able dishes out of the foods we routinely throw in the trash.

Honey from a Weed: Simple Rice or Risotto with Dandelion (or other Greens)

It is weed season. Dandelions make me hunger for a simple dish I first read in Honey From a Weed, a cookbook I’ve continued to enjoy for over thirty years. The elemental Macedonian dish morphs into a splendid risotto.

Improvised Life’s Thoughtful Un-Gift Guide

Here’s our list of things we think are worth giving for the way they expand minds/hearts/creativity, or are just downright useful…

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