I didn’t realize how much reading material I actually had on my nightstand until I lined them all up for this post. Whoah! This is a stellar lineup and I can’t wait to cram all of the following into my head!
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Not one, but two of my girlfriends recently gave me a copy of this book, and half of the ladies in my book club have already read it, so it must be good! Here's a review on GoodReads.com along with the book's companion website, Happiness-Project.com.
Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession by Julie Powell
This is another recent gift from a friend, and a follow up to Powell's first book, Julie and Julia (which was also made into a movie starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep). Click here for Elle.com's review of the book, and see video below for synopsis.
The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell
I can’t remember how I found out about this book because I put it on hold at the library a while ago and just picked it up the other day. But I love career-help type books (check out my Books on Creativity post) so it should be an interesting read. Also, looks like an interesting, resource-full website, TheRenegadeWriter.com.
How It All Vegan: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-free Diet by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer
I’m not a vegan but I’ve been exposed to a lot of veganism lately. My brother is exploring a vegan lifestyle, I’ve been contributing the odd Meatless Monday recipe to BCLiving.ca’s What I Made for Dinner food blog, and I recently had the immense pleasure of interviewing vegan author and athlete Brendan Brazier. This book, on its tenth edition, is packed with great vegan recipes, and there’s also an accompanying website, GoVegan.net.
Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain by Portia de Rossi
I love a good memoir and this one is fascinating and beautifully written. The tortured private life that Portia de Rossi shares in the book is heartbreaking and, at halfway through, I’m hoping that there will be a happy ending. Click here to read about and watch videos of her appearance on Oprah last year to promote the book.
5-Factor World Diet by Harley Pasternak
How cool is it that just days ago, in my last post, I mentioned Harley Pasternak’s new book and now it’s sitting right here next to me?! I love you, Vancouver Public Library! I haven’t dived in yet but the idea reminds me of a book I loved: French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano.
Whole Foods to Thrive by Brendan Brazier
This is Brendan Brazier’s fourth and newest book, and it just came out yesterday. As I mentioned above, I recently interviewed him – a dream come true because I’ve been a huge fan of his since his first book, Thrive, came out in 2004. Click here to read the article I wrote about Brazier for GranvilleOnline.ca.
The Pleasures of Slow Food: Celebrating Authentic Traditions, Flavors, and Recipes by Corby Kummer
This is a big book that has tantalizing, full-page pictures. First on my list of recipes to try: the risotto wrapped in cabbage leaves, mmm! And there's apparently a 13-part TV series in production, hosted by the author. See trailer below.
******* I’m so lucky to have a number of magazine subscriptions, and each month a little piece of heaven is delivered to my door when I receive my favourites:
Modern Dog magazine, Spring 2011
Gorgeous Nikita star, Maggie Q, graces the cover of the latest issue of Modern Dog. This is an awesome magazine, even if you don’t have a dog (I was reading it before I got one), and their Stuff We Love - Spring 2011 has me hankering for the Springer, a “bike attachment that allows you to safely bike with your dog.”
Flare magazine, May 2011
Zooey Deschanel looks super fabulous on the cover of this month’s Flare (although Hailee Steinfeld beat her to the punch by wearing the same Prada dress to the SAG Awards in January of this year, and ditto for Amanda Seyfried who wore it on the cover of Elle’s April 2011 issue).
Fashion magazine, May 2011
Supermodel, Ukranian-Canadian, and Lancome spokeperson Daria Werbowy is Fashion’s May cover girl. Click here for a behind-the-scenes look at her cover shoot.
InStyle magazine, May 2011
A radiant Kate Hudson, who’s expecting her second child this year, lands her third InStyle cover this month (I think I still have her first cover somewhere, where she appeared with her equally buoyant mother, Goldie Hawn, in 1996).