As a person with a somewhat OCD, type-A personality, the work of Swiss artist and comedian, Ursus Wehrli, is right up my alley. I'm extremely interested in how he came up with such a fabulous/wild idea for this series of photographs, and love it that he not only came up with the idea, but that he actually followed through and created an entire book around the concept. 

The gist--which I'm sure you've already picked up on from the images above--is that he takes objects and scenes from everyday life and rearranges them into organized, orderly stacks, rows, or groups. It's satisfying, in a way, to look at his work, but also very humorous, clever, and crazy--especially when you see the large-scale images like the one above ;) 

I'm dying to see the entire collection, but you can take a look at a small selection from the book below...

Aren't they fabulous!? I love it.

I think I may need to pick up his book, The Art of Clean Up: Life Made Neat and Tidy, so that I can see all of the images he came up with.

You can read more about Ursus Wehrli on his website, here, and can hear his TED talk (which I'm excted to listen to and will do tomorrow!), here.

I hope you have a neat and tidy day! Makes you want to clean something, doesn't it!?

Namaste,
Mary Catherine

"Old books carry a history, not only the story written on the pages. Dog-ears, stains, a dedication on the flyleaf, a doodle in the margin..."
-Cecilia Levy

Today's artist, Cecilia Levy, creates all of her work out of old book pages and glue--nothing else! Her work is beautiful in a very subtle, very unexpected way, and of course I'm drawn to it because of my complete love of books, paper, and all things unique + different ;) 

Some of my favorites are below:

Calming and serene, isn't it? 

You can view more of Levy's fantastic "Paper Art" on her website. 

Namaste!
Mary Catherine

Upon returning home this week, I was super excited to receive my copy of The Tranquility du Jour Daybook, an adorable, inspiration-filled planner created by the fabulous Kimberly Wilson, which, as you probably already know, is filled with my whimsical, girly watercolor illustrations :)  This book has been in-the-making for a long time, and it's truly amazing to see it come to life--I've never seen my illustrations covering any sort of bound publication before, and it's really a wonderful and exciting feeling! 

So yesterday, after my supposed root-canal-turned-just-a-few-fillings at the dentist (wooohooooo!), I returned home with a super numb mouth and a yearning to get my year organized in this precious little daybook. You can see a few pics from this fun creative process below...

Isn't it fun?!? You can pick up a copy of the Daybook on Kimberly's website, here, and can view more of the illustrations on my painting website, here.

So honored to be a part of this fun project! You'll also be able to enjoy more of my illustrations + more tranquility  in the hard-copy edition of her Tranquilologie E-Course, which will be coming out later this year ;)

Namaste!
Mary Catherine

Um, can you stand this picture!? I mean, really--isn't it simply amazing? When I came across this image on Facebook yesterday, this was my sequence of thoughts: Look at those colors!...OMG, those are books!...How did they get so many books in each color family?...I want this room!...Why don't I even have a book nook? 

As a total bibliophile and avid reader (mostly of fiction, but of all things, really...), I'm ashamed to admit that I don't have a book nook. Or even a cute little reading corner. I have lots of random book shelves throughout the apartment, lots of random books sitting on tables and counters, but not one, snuggly, just-curl-up-and-read-a-good-book nook. Granted, this is probably because we don't have a big enough apartment to have an anything nook (except somehow, we do have a Concept 2 Rower nook, which Ben squeezed into our bedroom on a whim...), but still. Every novel-loving girl should have a reading corner. So, although I'm going to file away the "book nook" wish for my "someday dream house," I am going to start pondering where I could possibly create a little reading corner or book nook for cloudy days like today. Once I put something together (probably post-wedding), I'll share it with you...

To get some ideas and a little inspiration before delving into my real to-do's for the day (sadly, not building a book nook!), I took to the interwebs to peruse some reading corner creations, and wouldn't you know, I found a bunch of gorgeous book nook ideas. Take a look at some of my favorites below:

Sigh. Only in my interior decorating dreams...

Whether you have a book nook, are also dreaming of having one, or could care less about having one, these images sure do make you want to curl up with a good read, don't they?

How can you nurture your spirit today? How can you create more space in your life for relaxation, comfort, and self care?

Definitely worth thinking about...

Namaste!
Mary Catherine

After spending a bit of time placing holds in the eBook Library online this morning (my new favorite thing!), I thought it might be about time to share my summer reading list with you. It seems that every year at this time I have an urge to put together a list of good reads for the summer--perhaps because I start dreaming about all the reading I'll be doing on the beach, on planes, and while traveling to exotic locales over the summer. Although I'm not exactly planning on heading anywhere crazy over the next few months, I am planning on getting lots of reading done, because in my mind, reading = relaxation. Wouldn't you agree? 

So anywho, here are the books that I've recently placed on hold for my Kindle. Have you read any of them? Are they good? After reading this list and getting a feel for the types of books I like, do you have any suggestions? If so, please send them along!

Summer Reading List: 

1. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James: after hearing about this book from multiple people, I feel like I have to read it. It's like any other bestselling/highly-discussed trilogy--The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Hunger Games, even Twilight (although I have to say that I only read the first one, just so I could "get" it)--I just want to be in the know and understand what people are talking about. Is that so bad? So yes, Fifty Shades of Grey has been added to my list...and I'm preparing to be slightly freaked out by it. 

2. The Way of the Happy Woman: Living the Best Year of Your Life by Sara Avant Stower: the author visited Tranquil Space earlier this year and I've heard amazing things about both the book and about her. I have the book, now I just need to read it!

3. The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter

4. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell: recommended to me by a friend who has amazing taste, so therefore, a no-brainer. Excited to read it!

5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

6. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

7. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht: I checked this book out a month or two ago, then got busy, and was only halfway through by the time my 21-day loan ended...sigh. So, I'm back on the list and am excited about finishing it! It was really good so far...

Recent Recommended Reads:

1. The Swan Theives: A Novel by Elizabeth Kostova: I just finished this book, and absolutely LOVED it. It helps that it contained a lot of my favorite things to read about--art (paintings!), intrigue/mystery, romance, drama, multiple time periods and points of view, and mental issues/genius (sad, I know, but I do find this interesting...), but either way, I highly recommend it!

2. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes: a very poignant and interesting novel. Not for a casual reader, but for someone wanting a bit of an unusual character-study-type read. 

3. Last Night in Twisted River: A Novel by John Irving: as you probably know by now, I'm a big John Irving fan. Therefore, I found this novel to be great, as his novels usually are. Really interesting story that follows a man through his somewhat rocky life from childhood to adulthood. 

4. Zeitoun by Dave Eggers: after reading What is the What, I'm a TOTAL Dave Eggers convert. This book is an amazing true story that captures just one tiny snapshot of life in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina. It's heartbreaking and really helped me to see the event and the aftershock of the event more clearly. A must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about this...

What are your most recent recommended reads? Please do share!

And with that, I'll leave you with a few fun summer reading images I found on Pinterest...

Ahhh....looking forward to it!

Namaste,
Mary Catherine

One of my favorite activities outside of yoga, painting, eating apples (hehe) and CrossFit, is reading. Since I haven't done a book review post since the summer, I thought I'd share a few of my recent reads today. Also, I have to say that I've recently hooked my new Kindle up to the library and it's eBook collection, and it's amazing! If you have a Kindle and haven't tried it yet, give it a go! To me, free books are always better than the ones you have to pay for ;)

Peruse my recent reads below, and please do share if you have any good recommendations for me!

_Recent Reads

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Grade: B-
Thoughts: I enjoyed reading the book and thought that the story line was well constructed, but I actually didn't like the writing that much. I felt that the modern parts (not the flashbacks) weren't very well-written or believable, although the flashbacks felt much more realistic to me. It's recently been made into a movie, though, so I'm interested in seeing that and think it could be a great movie...

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Grade: A+
Thoughts: Amazing book. Heart-wrenching and sad--even made me cry at one point while reading it in bed--but it's really, really good and paints a very realistic portrait of Afghan history and the horrors that have occoured over the years (and how difficult it is to be a woman there). I'm a BIG fan of Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner), and definitely recommend both of his books.

_Incantation by Alice Hoffman
Grade: A-
Thoughts: Beautifully-written and again, a very sad and realistic story, this one about Jewish Spaniards living undercover in Spain in the 1500s. Sad but eye-opening and quite the page-turner. Also, it's written from a young girls perspective, so has a very interesting point of view.

Lucky by Alice Sebold
Grade: A-
Thoughts: As a true story/memoir about being raped in college, this book is a tough read. I don't recommend it to those who have a hard time reading about difficult subjects or tragedies, but I do think that it's very informative and taught me a lot about what rape victims go through after the rape. Plus, I love Alice Sebold so it was interesting to read her memoir.

And if you haven't read them yet, I have to admit that I recommend The Hunger Games series. I promise that I am NOT usually into sci-fi OR teen books (and never have been!), but they're a really fun read. They're kind of like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series--page turners, you can't put them down, and you end up reading one after another over 3 or 4 days until you're done. Might as well take the dive, as you know that they're going to be made into a movie soon and you're going to have to read them then!

Current Read

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Grade (thus far): A+
Thoughts: Although I'm only 1/4 of the way through this thick book, it's a must-read. Put it on your list! It's the story of a young boy who is born mute, and can only sign, and it is amazingly constructed and well-written. Just read it! Do it. 

Upcoming Reads/Wish List:

Happy Yoga: 7 Reasons Why There's Nothing to Worry About by Steve Ross: Gifted to me by one of my students, I hear it's great and am excited to read it!

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht: I've been hearing about this book for months so I've put the eBook on hold. I think I'm number 89 on a wait list of about 100, so I'll tell you about it when I read it in 2013 ;)

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides: Another one that I've read many reviews about, but haven't gotten a chance to read yet. I've never read any of his books, but hear that he's great. On my list for 2012!

So what's on your reading list? What have you read recently that is a must-read? Please let me know! I'm always looking for new books and want to add lots of new books to my eBook library queue :)

Happy reading!

Namaste,
Mary Catherine