September reads

Posting this book list is long overdue, but I finally finished it today. I abandoned photography in favor of basket making this month, thanks to my sister. I fell in love with the tiny, unique baskets she made, and was curious to learn more. I found some great YouTube videos, and collected Ponderosa pine needles to try my hand at pine needle baskets, and read through most of the books the library system had to offer. These are my favorites:

Judy Mallow | Pine Needle Basketry: From Forest Floor to Finished Project
Lyn Siler | The Ultimate Basket Book, and How to Make Baskets
Martha R. Lawrence | Lightship Baskets of Nantucket
B.J. Crawford | Basketry: 17 Great Weekend Projects

Reading a few country life books, full of beautiful rooms and decorating ideas, inspired me to spruce up a few rooms in my old country farmhouse. As I read, I marked pages with post-it notes and made notes in my journal. It's fun to see what other people do with antique linens and blue canning jars and quilts, even old wooden ladders. I found lots of ideas that we'll be able to use for our bathroom remodel project, and (fingers crossed) a long-overdue kitchen update.

500 Kitchen Ideas
750 Style & Design Ideas for Home & Garden
The Little Book of Big Decorating Ideas

And I managed to find time for a few novels:

Steve Hamilton | Let it Burn, The Hunting Wind, Misery Bay. Catching up on these Alex McKnight books that I somehow missed.

Mark Obmascik | The Big Year. The movie was great fun, so when I saw that it was based on a book, I had to read it. The book was so much more about the process and art and skill of birding, it was well worth the read. I learned things about migration habits (and miracles), about the different kinds of "Big Years," about the people who undertake the commitment.

Allegra Goodman | The Cookbook Collector. I realized when I starting reading, that I'd already read this book. My niece had been wanting to read it, so I sent the book home with her. I hope she enjoys it; I sure did.