Linda K. Taylor, Printmaker

Is there anything more interesting than an artist's studio?  When visiting this printmaking studio it is further expanded with the education of technique.  The artist and her assistant demonstrated a monotype.  The demonstration was in conjunction with the Ojai Studio Artist

Tour. http://ojaistudioartists.org/ 

"The Goldfinch"

I just finished reading all 771 pages of "The Goldfinch," and wished it was twice as long.  Inside the book jacket it claimed, "...beautiful, stay-up-all-night-and-tell-your-friends triumph."  I agree. www.washingtonpost.com/.../the-disappointing-novel-.

"The Valley of Amazement" and "China Dolls"

...did so enjoy the newest books by Amy Tan and Lisa See.  

Reading While Watching the Olympics on TV

I have been reading like mad while watching the XXX Olympics on television.  (1) Thinking no one can speak for herself as well as her Mother, Caroline has released "Jacqueline Kennedy- Historic Conversations of Life with John F. Kennedy."  Interviews with Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. in 1964 revealed life in the White House.  (2) "In The Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin," by Erik Larson, is another narrative non-fiction.  (3) And, currently, for lighter fare, Alexander McCall Smith's, "The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection." 

"Reading My Father"

With her exquisite writing, Alexandra Styron makes it clear she is the daughter of a brilliant writer.  "Reading My Father" is a poignant autobiography exploring that stormy relationship. 

Malibu Library Re-read

...the heart of every community...our newly-renovated library. ...two community members, an award-winning director (nee paddle boarder) and her friend.  He was rumored to have been acting as crossing guard, when needed. 

 The teens section with surfboards floating overhead (only in their dreams) while they study. 

 ...and, for the little ones, soft spaces for reading or small-sized seating for their computers. 



"The Greater Journey - Americans in Paris"

After having read this, and three other books by David McCullough, I am convinced if I read all of his books I would know all I want to know. This is the enthralling story of the remarkable Americans who traveled to Paris between 1830 and 1900. They were the architects, artists, writers, politicians, and doctors who wanted to be more excellent. Their story is an inspiration that lets one know what it takes to soar.

March

When finishing the first chapter of "March" it was obvious how it won the Pulitzer Prize. It read like poetry. I was, once again, in awe of what an author does.

If you ever wondered why the father in, Alcott's, "Little Women" was rarely present? This book has the answers. In this well-researched work of fiction, the author makes him the main character. While the young women and their mother stay in Concord, Massachusetts, Mr. March is a chaplain, away in the Civil War. The family and other familiar people are imagined in this make-believe story that is both moving and riveting.

A Powerful Woman

I just finished reading the epic biography of the multi-faceted Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. It was totally absorbing; while this dynamic woman was revealed to me in a whole new light. Equally impressive is the writer, Hannah Pakula, the author of this, "The Last Empress, Madame Chiang Kai-Shek and the Birth of Modern China."

Books, books, books

---Just finished Steve Martin's, "The Object of Beauty." He is so busy being an artistic genius that he doesn't waste any spare words in telling of the heroine's escapades in the glittering New York City art world during it's heyday. It is direct---just like her.

---Having won the National Book Award and being on the NY TIMES bestseller list, "The Mayflower," tells the real story of the Pilgrims. I am really looking forward to reading all the details.

---I love the city of Venice, Italy. "Lucia," is a love story, emerging from the pages of history during the time of Napoleon, placed in that wondrous city.

---This will be a re-read of "The Snowball." The author was given total access to Warren Buffet's life . That access, coupled with extremely good writing, proves a fascinating look into the world of "elephant bumping" with warts and all.

A Change in Altitude

When reading Anita Shreve's A CHANGE IN ALTITUDE I was constantly wondering what was happening next and wanting to keep the heroine from her self-destructive actions. In other words, I was really involved.

Shreve's words are beautiful, her settings divine. This saga takes place in Kenya. I now know more about the places and events she describes, but not to the exclusion of my caring for the story or the characters. Having read three of her books, I want more.

More Books

I am reading everything I can find by Isabel Allende, Anita Shreve and Jeanette Walls. What amazing story tellers they are (even when they tell their own). Allende's, "Daughter of Fortune," is an absorbing tale taking the main character through perils from Chile to California's gold fields. "The Sum of Our Days," is a no-holds-barred memoir. Speaking of telling it all---Jeanette Walls', powerful book, called "The Glass Castle," is the true story of the author's victory over unspeakable circumstances. After this, and her grandmother's story, entitled "Half Broke Horses," I am so looking forward to reading more from Walls. "Sea Glass," by Shreve, was revealing from a real and historical perspective. I couldn't put it down. All three of these authors present the unique plight of women with insight.

The impresario, Jerry Weintraub, teaches the lessons of creating something from nothing, in his autobiography, "When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead." A dear friend has recommended, Dan Brown's, "The Lost Symbol." That's next.

Reading, Reading, Reading

All of the books I have been wishing to read arrived at the same time. I fell into Jeanette Walls', "The Glass Castle," and didn't come up for air until it was finished. This truth-is-stranger-than-fiction memoir kept me in disbelief and awe. It's a hard act to follow. Isabel Allende is up next.

Sea Glass

Romantic souls are always collecting sea glass. Fashionistas are coveting it for jewelry. This bowl of sea glass, geodes and crystals can be found in my neighbor's home.

Haven't we all, like the book's heroine, been enchanted when collecting sea glass? Having the setting be a dilapidated beach-side mansion was the stuff of novels...especially, during the Great Depression. Hard times were emotionally expressed through all of the character's disparate social and economic classes. Anita Shreve's novel, "Sea Glass" will tug at your heart strings while giving insights into the times. Reading it was a great way to celebrate summer.

Great Summer Read

I just finished reading Isabel Allende's, "Daughter of Fortune." Another coming to America story, told from a different perspective, I was constantly reminded of other stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Lisa See. It is a great tale of young love, obsession, and freedom of spirit, as the young heroine travels from Chile to California in the midst of the gold rush.

The Help

"The Help" should have been entitled "Help"! It is a heartbreaking story placed in the author's home town, Jackson, Mississippi, in the early 1960s. The author moved away after writing this expose...no wonder.

Flame Trees of Thika

What an adventure the young narrator takes us on in this autobiographical novel when her British family arrives to plant coffee at the base of Mount Kenya in Africa. The experiences with nature, the animals, and the diverse cultures are both heart stopping and heart swelling.

Great Reads

Do yourself a favor and share this saga with writer, Jeannette Walls. You will be so glad that her Grandmother remembered her experiences so well. She is carrying on where Willa Cather left off.

Ernest Hemingway knew Beryl Markham in Africa fairly well. He had no idea she wrote anything, other than in her flyer's log book. After reading her autobiography he wrote to a mutual friend, "she has written so well, and marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer."

Wild Swans

You will want to savor every single word of this beautifully written memoir of three generations of women in China. Through their stories you will learn and feel...and, you will be changed. Isn't that what art is about?