I know, I know. It's been FOREVER since I've published a blog post here. But I didn't want to close out 2017 without wishing you the sweetest, brightest, healthiest, happiest new year possible, and thanking you for your visits. I also want to give you a little gift: Some FAB book recommendations!
Personally, I'm always on the lookout for my next great read, despite the fact that I have a teetering, tottering pile of books waiting impatiently for me. (Ah, the trials and tribulations of a bibliophile!) Not all of the following books are newly published, but they are all ones that I read and LOVED within the past year. Hope you enjoy them, too!
- The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs. I've already mentioned it on my Instagram page, but this book had me wishing I'd been friends with the author. I kept flipping to the back flap and studying her photo, which was just as warm, witty, and relatable as her words. (And that made her memoir all the more bittersweet.)
- The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski. This is a children's book I bought for my ten-year-old daughter, but truth be told, I also bought it for myself! The intricate illustrations are out-of-this-world gorgeous and I love the message of the book: that it's up to us to create our own stories.
- The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. After watching the riveting (and harrowing) TV series on Hulu, I wanted to read the original. It did not disappoint.
- Pax by Sara Pennypacker; illustrations by Jon Klassen (one of my favorite illustrators). Another children's book that I've squirreled away from my kids. I cried and cried, which is actually something I love to do with a good book. It's so cathartic!
- Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. I'm automatically drawn to any book that's about making time and space for creativity, and this is a classic on the topic.
- Maddie Lounging on Things by Theron Humphrey. Because "rescued" is my favorite breed, and the sweet, funny photographs of Maddie the dog made me smile all the way through.
- The Piano by Jane Campion and Kate Pullinger. I found this book in the discard pile at the library (score!), and having loved the movie ages ago, I decided to give it a read. It's just as poetic as the movie.
- Abandoned Places by Henk van Rensbergen. A tiny photography book with haunting pictures of once-inhabited spaces. Oh, the stories these places could tell!
- Nature/Walking by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (two famous essays in one volume). Do you really need a reason to read the musings of two of the greatest minds in history? No, I didn't think so.
- The Power of Kindness by Piero Ferrucci. Inspiration aplenty, without being preachy. I wish this book were required reading in every single school.
Well, there you have it! Need more book recommendations? Check out my post called Good Books for Bad Weather.
Happiest holidays and my very warmest wishes for 2018!
Before you go...
- A couple of people wrote to me recently to ask if I offer gift certificates for my online courses. Well, thanks to them, now I do! If you'd like to give an original holiday gift that doesn't take up any space on the kitchen counter and can give the lasting lessons of how to create more beautiful photographs, just email me at [email protected] and tell me the name of the recipient, email address, and dollar amount for your gift certificate. I'll send you a payment button so you can pay online via PayPal, and then I'll send a personalized gift certificate on its way via email. (No mall trip necessary!)
- In the new year, I'll be releasing VERY limited, personally signed editions of my own photography books! (And yes, you can redeem the gift certificates mentioned above for one of my books, too.) To get on the list of people notified first, do get yourself subscribed below to my free, monthly-ish photography newsletter, "Writing with Light"...
© 2017 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com LLC. All rights reserved. All photos and text digitally fingerprinted and watermarked. Please do not use any photographs without asking me first for permission at [email protected] and then clearly linking back to this site with photo credits. Site licensed by Creative Commons.
