The Books of 2023

So many books, so little time—part 17.

My son started keeping a reading list in third grade, so I did too. This is the 17th year we’ve done this.

Work and well, life in general kept me pretty busy, but I still managed to read a LOT, and listened to a number of audiobooks as well.

This is How it Always is by Laurie Frankel

My favorite books this year were Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett (a beautiful story about a mother telling her daughters the story of a long ago summer romance), Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (a futuristic novel that brings in elements of AI and its possible role in our futures), Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (a moving story about the bonds of family), Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (a book club pick about a widow and an octopus that I was sure I’d hate, but ended up loving), Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage by Heather Havilresky (the only nonfiction pick on my list of favorites, this is a series of essays about, you guessed, marriage),

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

Yellowface. by R.F. Kuang (a really compelling novel about the world of literature and who gets to tell what stories in the age of cultural appropriation), The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (a page turner till the bitter end), Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson ( a very original story full of weirdly compelling characters, including a pair of twins who light on fire when they get angry), and This is How it Always is by Laurie Frankel ( a really well done and eye opening story about a family with a transgender child).

I’d love to hear what everyone else enjoyed. Here’s my 2023 list:

Love on the Brain Ali Hazelwood
Less Andrew Sean Greer
The Vibrant Years Sonali Dev
The Lincoln Highway Amor Towles
Rules of Civility Amor Towles
The Half Known Life Pico Iyer
Amanda Wakes Up Alisyn Camerota
When in Rome Sarah Adams
Like a Rolling Stone Jann S. Wenner
Incense and Sensibility Sonali Dev
Perfect Tunes Emily Gould
The Second Season Emily Adrian
The Matzah Ball Jean Meltzer
When Sparks Fly Helena Hunting
A Holly Jolly Diwali Sonya Lalli
Black Girls Must BE Magic Jayne Allen
Remarkably Bright Creatures Shelby Van Pelt
The Sound of Gravel Ruth Wariner
Look Alive Out There Sloane Crosley
The Unspeakable Meghan Daum
Have I Told You This Already? Lauren Graham
Keya Das’s Second Act Sopan Deb
Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors Sonali Dev
Yours Cheerfully A.J. Pearce
The Invitation Lucy Foley
The Candid Life of Meena Dave Namrata Patel
The Power Naomi Alderman
Dear Mrs. Bird AJ Pearce
The Flatshare Beth O’Leary
Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro
The People We Keep Alison Larkin
This is How it Always Is Laurie Frankel
What’s the Matter with Mary Jane? Candas Jane Dorsey
Cult Classic Sloane Crosley
Crying in H Mart Michelle Zaunder
Something She’s Not Telling Us Darcey Bell
Spare Prince Harry
Forget Me Not Ellie Terry
Nothing to See Here Kevin Wilson
Big Magic Elizabeth Gilbert
Unmarriageable Soniah Kamal
The Four Winds Kristin Hannah
Serena Singh Flips the Script Sonya Lalli
The Last Bookshop in London Madeline Martin
Mika in Real Life Emiko Jean
The Ex Hex Erin Sterling
Little Lovely Things Maureen Joyce Connolly
The Younger Wife Sally Hepworth
The Good Girl Complex Elle Kennedy
Tokyo Ever After Emiko Jean
Commitment Mona Simpson
The Suite Spot Trish Doller
Dear Edward Ann Napolitano
I’ll Be You Janelle Brown
Romantic Comedy Curtis Sittenfeld
The Book of the Most Precious Substance Sara Gran
Really Good, Actually Monica Heisey
The Golden Couple Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Cassandra in Reverse Holly Smale
The Storyteller Dave Grohl
Yellowface R.F. Kuang
Fathers and Sons Ivan Turgenev
Where you See Yourself Claire Forrest
The Off Limits Rule Sarah Adams
For Her Consideration Amy Spalding
If He Had Been With Me Laura Nowlin
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle Matt Cain
This Story Will Change Elizabeth Crane
The Birthday Girls Pauline Lawless
Hot to Trot M.C. Beaton
After I Do Taylor Jenkins Reid
Bookish People Susan Coll
On the Rooftop Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
The Swimmers Julie Otsuka
Wahala Nikki May
Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage Heather Havilresky
More Than You’ll Ever Know Katie Gutierrez
Unfortunately Yours Tessa Bailey
For Girls Who Walk Through Fire Kim DeRose
The Diamond Eye Kate Quinn
Early Morning Riser Katherine Heiny
Tom Lake Ann Patchett
The Princess Trap Talia Hibbert
The Incendiaries R.O. Kwon
Hello Beautiful Ann Napolitano
Year of the Monkey Patti Smith
I Have Lost My Way Gayle Forman
The It Girl Ruth Ware
Lucy by the Sea Elizabeth Strout
The Death of Mrs. Westaway Ruth Ware
A Killer App Linda Lovely
The Littlest Library Poppy Alexander
Someone Else’s Shoes JoJo Moyes
Any Other Family Eleanor Brown
High Strung: A Humorous Cozy Mystery (Glass Bead Mystery Series Book 1) Janice Peacock
Pest Elizabeth Foscue
The Wedding Setup Sonali Dev
The Rachel Incident Caroline O’Donoghue
The Woman in Cabin 10 Ruth Ware
I Could Live Here Forever Hanna Halperin
The Arc Tory Henwood Hoen
One by One Ruth Ware
Sadie on a Plate Amanda Ellliot
Maybe Next Time Cesca Major
A Very Inconvenient Scandal Jacquelyn Mitchard

Previous Book Lists

The Books of 2022

The Books of 2021

The Books of 2020

The Books of 2019

The Books of 2018

The Books of 2017

The Books of 2016

The Books of 2015

The Books of 2014

The Books of 2013

The Books of 2012

The Books of 2011

The Books of 2010

The Books of 2009

The Books of 2008

The Books of 2007

The Books of 2022

The Plot

So many books, so little time—part 16.

My son started keeping a reading list in third grade, so I did too. This is the 16th year we’ve done this.

Even though I was pretty busy this year, I read a LOT and audiobooks are definitely a big part of my routine these days as well.

Lessons in Chemistry

My favorite books this year were The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz (a twisty tale about the dark side of being a writer), Beartown by Fredrik Backman (one of those books that tons of people recommended to me for years, with sports parents as one of the scariest and realistic elements of a complex story), and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (a funny, feminist tale that made me laugh out loud several times). I also really liked Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister, which is one of Reese Witherspoon’s recent picks; The Candy House by Jennifer Egan; Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin; Apeirogon by

The Heart’s Invisible Furies

Colum McCann; and The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne.

I’d love to hear what else people loved.

Here’s the 2022 list:

The Wife Stalker Liv Constantine
The Startup Wife Tahmima Aham
The Cavendon Women Barbara Taylor Bradford
The Plot Jean Hanff Korelitz
The Fever Megan Abbott
One Day in December Josie Silver
Anxious People Fredrik Backman
The Book of Two Ways Jodi Picoult
Three Last First Dates: A Sweet Romantic Comedy of Love, Friendship and Even More Cake Kate O’Keefe
The Unhoneymooners Christina Lauren
The Guilt Trip Sandie Jones
Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography Laurie Woolever
State of Terror Hillary Rodham Clinton & Louise Penny
The Starless Sea Erin Morgenstern
Cavendon Hall Barbara Taylor Bradford
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler Kelly Harms
The Cavendon Luck Barbara Taylor Bradford
Tell the Wolves I’m Home Carol Rifka Brunt
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird Josie Silver
If the Fates Allow Rainbow Rowell
You Can Thank Me Later Kelly Harms
Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? Lorrie Moore
The Night She Disappeared Lisa Jewell
That’s What Frenemies Are For Sophie Littlefield and Lauren Gershell
99 Percent Mine Sally Thorne
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman
Five Tuesdays in Winter Lily King
Tweet Cute Emma Lord
Hooked: How Crafting Saved My Life Sutton Foster
Only Mostly Devastated Sophie Gonzales
A Sweet Mess Jayci Lee
Evvie Drake Starts Over Linda Holmes
The Book of Form and Emptiness Ruth Ozeki
We are Inevitable Gayle Forman
The Playground Jane Shemilt
I Was Here Gayle Forman
Where She Went Gayle Forman
The Reading List Sara Nisha Adams
The Story of the Lost Child Elena Ferrante
Music is History Questlove
My Name is Lucy Barton Elizabeth Strout
Lessons in Chemistry Bonnie Garmus
High Stakes Danielle Steel
Going There Katie Couric
The Unsinkable Greta James Jennifer E. Smith
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care Ashley Herring Blake
Vivian Rising Daniella J. Brodsky
The Summer Place Jennifer Weiner
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead Elle Cosimano
Oh William! Elizabeth Strout
Honey Girl Morgan Rogers
Love Her or Lose Her Tessa Bailey
A Man Called Ove Fredrik Backman
Lorna Mott Comes Home Diane Johnson
Meant to Be Emily Giffin
No Words Meg Cabot
Ulysses James Joyce
Good Rich People Eliza Jane Brazier
Beartown Fredrik Backman
Old Filth Jane Gardam
Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting Clare Pooley
Tracy Flick Can’t Win Tom Perotta
The Messy Lives of Book People Phaedra Patrick
Carry On Rainbow Rowell
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry Gabrielle Zevin
Wayward Son Rainbow Rowell
No One Asked For This Cazzie David
Any Way the Wind Blows Rainbow Rowell
I Kissed Shara Wheeler Casey McQuiston
Apeirogon Colum McCann
Nora Goes Off Script Annabel Monaghan
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Gabrielle Zevin
When No One Is Watching Alyssa Cole
Fix Her Up Tessa Bailey
Heartstopper Alice Oseman
By the Book Jasmine Guillory
It Happened One Summer Tessa Bailey
The Roughest Draft Austin Siegemund-Broka
You’ll Grow Out of It Jessi Klein
Cover Story Susan Rigetti
Kiss Me Now Melanie Jacobson
Counterfeit Kristen Chen
Second First Impressions Sally Thorne
Hook, Line and Sinker Tessa Bailey
About Grace Anthony Doerr
Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words Annika Sharma
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Sangu Mandanna
Yes & I Love You Roni Loren
Marrying the Ketchups Jennifer Close
Carrie Soto is Back Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Church of Baseball: The Making of Bull Durham: Home Runs, Bad Calls, Crazy Fights, Bit Swings, and a Hit Ron Shelton
The Heart’s Invisible Furies John Boyne
The Nickel Boys Colson Whitehead
The Candy House Jennifer Egan
Heard it in a Love Song Tracy Garvis Graves
Anna K Jenny Lee
Luster Raven Leilani
Dava Shastri’s Last Day Kirthana Ramisetti
Uncharted Waters Sally Hepworth
Dear Reader Mary O’Connell
Dating Dr. Dil Nisha Sharma
The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard Robert Bryndza
When You Get the Chance Emma Lord
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing Matthew Perry
Southern Lady Code Helen Ellis
Solitaire Alice Oseman
Our Missing Hearts Celeste Ng
The Emma Project Sonali Dev
As It Turns Out: Thinking About Edie and Andy Alice Sedgwick Wohl
Something Wilder Christina Lauren
The Last Chance Library Freya Sampson
Mid Night Victoria Shorr
Wrong Place, Wrong Time Gillian McAllister
Drunk on Love Jasmine Guillory
The One True Me and You Remi K. England
The Heartbreak Bakery A.R. Capetta
Recipe for Persuasion Sonali Dev
When You Were Mine Rebecca Searle

Previous Book Lists

The Books of 2021

The Books of 2020

The Books of 2019

The Books of 2018

The Books of 2017

The Books of 2016

The Books of 2015

The Books of 2014

The Books of 2013

The Books of 2012

The Books of 2011

The Books of 2010

The Books of 2009

The Books of 2008

The Books of 2007

Arts Life: A Look at Upcoming Theater from PCPA and ETC, Michelle Yeoh Really is Everywhere, A& L’s Speaking withe Pico Series

Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent in August, 2022.

These stories were originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent in August 2022.

On with the Show: A Look at Upcoming Theater From PCPA and ETC

Michelle Yeoh Really is Everywhere

A&L’s Speaking with Pico Series

854_05_26_22

Our Home & Garden Special Issue 2022

Our Annual Edition Dedicated to Ideas and Design, Both Indoor and Out

Credit: ©Lotusland by Rizzoli, New York, 2022. Image ©Lisa Romerein

Welcome to our annual Home & Garden special issue, the edition run each spring where we explore ideas and designs for indoors and out.

In this year’s collection, we feature a new book all about that most iconic of Montecito gardens, Lotusland, and explain how you can create your own sustainable garden in the backyard. Then we turn to a new Home & Design Collective in the downtown Arts District, head to the library to find free decor resources, and take a look at what it takes, and why, to electrify your house.

Happy designing!

The Lowdown on Lotusland

Gardening for the Greater Good

Destination Downtown for Design: New Santa Barbara Arts District Home & Design Collective Brings Biz to State Street

Vintage Vogue at Indian Pink on State Street

Divine Design at Lonetree in Victoria Court

Home Design Inspiration for All: Free Resources Galore from the Santa Barbara Library

Electrifying Your Home in Santa Barbara: How to Flip the Switch Away From Natural Gas

Santa Barbara Independent, May 19-25, 2002. ON THE COVER: Madame Ganna Walska, taken c. 1958. Photo by J.R. Eyerman/Lotusland Archives. Design by Ava Talehakimi.

Originally published in the May 19-25 issue issue of the Santa Barbara Independent. To see the story as it originally appeared click here.

The Lowdown on Lotusland

Montecito’s Eccentric Garden Paradise Comes to Life in New Book

Underneath the canopy of towering dragon trees (Dracaena draco) is a large, candelabrum-shaped Isolatocereus dumortieri as well as eye-catching clusters of golden barrels (Echinocactus grusonii), which were some of Madame Ganna Walska’s favorite cacti. | Credit: ©Lotusland by Rizzoli, New York, 2022. Image ©Lisa Romerein

Show business ran deep through the veins of Madame Ganna Walska, so when the time finally came to showcase her legendary garden in book form, the pressure was on.

And like the creation of Montecito’s extraordinary 37-acre public garden extravaganza, it took a whole cast of characters to bring the new, 288-page coffee table book Lotusland: Eccentric Garden Paradise (Rizzoli, 2022) — stunningly photographed by Lisa Romerein — to life.

Architect Marc Appleton, a longtime supporter and former trustee of Ganna Walska Lotusland, had unsuccessfully tried to drum up support for a book project for years, but the stars never quite aligned until 2019, when the “Book Committee” — comprised of Appleton, current trustee Dorothy Gardner and former trustees Suzanne Mathews and Alex Morse — was formed.

Lotusland is sited on a gently sloping hill and spans 37 acres. With the area’s coastal Mediterranean climate — and almost 300 days of sunshine per year — the property has been a testing ground for experimenting with new types of tropical and subtropical plants since 1882. | Credit: ©Lotusland by Rizzoli, New York, 2022. Illustrated by Janice Blair

The county permit limits the number of visitors to the garden to just 15,000 people a year, so it’s always a challenge to share Lotusland with as many people as possible

“We raised independent funds from subscribers to establish a publication budget, and we were off and running,” said Appleton. 

“Everyone said yes, which is kind of remarkable and a testament to their relationships. It really was volunteer driven and that’s important to appreciate and highlight,particularly in this town where so many volunteers do so much,” said Executive Director Rebecca Anderson.” 

Curator Paul Mills, Historian Rose Thomas, Jeff Chemnick, Mike Furner, Corey Welles, Founding Trustee Arthur Gaudi, Eric Nagelmann (who designed the cactus garden) and Madame Walska’s niece Hania Tallmadge (who recently passed away) were but a few of the many people involved in this team effort.

The book has a lot of ground to cover — and it does. Anderson explained, “while it’s meant to focus on the garden today and our future, it’s meant to be a garden book. It’s not meant to be a retrospective of how the garden began. But I really appreciate that we were able to get in there the people who created this place because without a little bit of that it’s not a complete story.”

Indeed the dramatic flair and inimitable spirit of of Madame Walska is woven throughout the book and the world-renowned horticultural showplace, which is home to more than 3,400 types of plants, including at least 35,000 individual specimens, 

Another important factor Anderson emphasized is “making sure that people not only have takeaways about inspiration and ideas for design or knowledge of particular plants in that index in the back but also that they understand that this is all done with

organic materials and sustainable practices.” 

With such a large scope of the gardens to be documented, Curator Paul Mills worked with photographer Lisa Romerein and her assistant Dean Courtois to shoot over the span of a year, “to try to catch as many moods and happenings in the garden as possible.” Mills said, “Lotusland really is not a ‘flowery’ garden, it’s more about bold and dramatic presentation of plants. But each season does present different opportunities to capture and I would help guide them to these.”

Madame Ganna Walska picks fruit from the lemon arbor, c. 1958 | Credit: J. R. Eyerman, Ganna Walska. Lotusland Archives

He continued, “Every plant on the property has a story, but I would try to lead them to the ones that are more intriguing for one reason or another – a cycad that is now extinct in the wild and only exists in gardens like Lotusland, a dragon tree that dates back to the 1880’s when Kinton Stevens had his nursery on the property, a cactus that is endemic to the Galapagos Islands and rarely seen in botanical collections. The first shoot was in summer, so the main goal was to catch our namesake plant, the sacred lotus, in all its glory. Winter had to focus on the Aloe garden because that is when those plants light up with their torch-like inflorescences and also on the Japanese garden which really shows that season with the golden carpet of Ginkgo leaves and shapely, dormant maples. I would scout the garden before their arrival but so many times we would just happen across things – a flowering bromeliad, a fern leaf unfurling or the perfect lighting for an overall shot.” 

With 19 distinct gardens to spotlight, choosing a favorite is like choosing a favorite child, but when asked which section of the book he’s most proud of, Mills confided, “I would have to say the chapter on the Dunlap cactus garden. It’s my favorite garden on the property, not only because I was so involved in moving the collection to Lotusland and helping to oversee its installation, but because of the story behind it. Lisa was also very drawn to this garden so it got a lot of attention and amazing photos in the book.”

He continued, “We’d often be on the cart heading to a different garden, passing by the Dunlap garden, and Lisa would shout, ‘Stop!’ because she saw something looking just right. This garden was installed after Madame Ganna Walska had passed away, but the project actually started in 1966, when Merritt ‘Sigs’ Dunlap wrote to her wanting to bequeath his cactus collection to Lotusland. She saw this as something great and accepted. Luckily Sigs turned it into a donation and we moved the collection in 2001 and built the garden in 2003 where he celebrated his 97th birthday. We know Madame Ganna Walska would approve of this garden – she loved cacti and dramatic landscapes and its completion signified the fulfillment of her and Sigs’ wish.”

Credit: ©Lotusland by Rizzoli, New York, 2022

“Making the book happen in the right way was challenging, and there were ultimately a lot of interests to entertain along the way, ” said Appleton, who worked on a somewhat similar project with Rizzoli for Casa Del Herrero in 2009, and wrote the introduction to Lotusland. “But I think the book will have a long life as a fairly comprehensive presentation of Lotusland and  why it is such a special garden. Lisa’s photos are amazing, and capture its magic.”

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Limited spots are available for a Luncheon on the Lawn to celebrate Lotusland: Eccentric Garden Paradise on Saturday, May 21 at 11:30 a.m.  

In addition,Lotusland’s 2022 season is now open to reservations through August. Admission is $50 for adults and $25 for children ages 3 to 17. For more information and reservations, visit lotusland.org.

Lotusland: Eccentric Garden Paradise is available at local retailers as well as through the onsite gift shop and online at lotuslandshop.org

Santa Barbara Independent, May 19-25, 2002. ON THE COVER: Madame Ganna Walska, taken c. 1958. Photo by J.R. Eyerman/Lotus- land Archives. Design by Ava Talehakimi.

Originally published in the May 19-25 issue issue of the Santa Barbara Independent. To see the story as it originally appeared click here.

Home Design Inspiration for All: Free Resources Galore from the Santa Barbara Library

Credit: Courtesy

Looking for some inspiration for your next home improvement project? For when Pinterest isn’t quite cutting it, our Santa Barbara Public Library librarians Lisa Neubert and Kimberly Crail (have curated this list of books to check out.

Small Spaces

Small Space Style: Because You Don’t Have to Live Large to Live Beautifully by Whitney Leigh Morris:  Interior design maven Morris shares her ideas and practices for making any tiny space efficient and stylish ​— ​whether it’s a rustic A-frame in the woods or a chic micro apartment in the city.

150 Best Tiny Interior Ideas by Francesc Zamora Mola:  A smaller living space doesn’t have to mean sacrificing sophistication or comfort. Here are loads of ideas for maximizing space while creating warm and inviting homes.

Interior Design

Design a Healthy Home: 100 Ways to Transform Your Space for Physical and Mental Wellbeing by Oliver Heath: Simple, practical advice on how to design your home for health and happiness through modifications in lighting, air quality, acoustics, temperature, color, and more.

Design the Home You Love: Practical Styling Advice to Make the Most of Your Space by Lee Mayer:  A fresh and accessible guidebook to the complicated world of interior design.

Credit: Courtesy

Made for Living: Collected Interiors for All Sorts of Styles by Amber Lewis:  Tricks of the trade from a trendsetting designer known for creating effortlessly layered looks and modern eclectic styles.

Home Stories: Design Ideas for Making a House a Home by Kim Leggett:  Everyone has a story worth telling, and every room can become part of that story. Learn how to create rooms filled with warmth, meaning, and your own unique story of home.

Feels Like Home: Relaxed Interiors for a Meaningful Life by Lauren Liess:  Explore the emotional connection between home decoration and one’s daily life through the lens of a popular social media and TV star.

House to Home: Designing Your Space for the Way You Live by Devi Dutta-Choudhury:  A modern guide to home improvement that will help you create a dynamic, comfortable space that supports your life and the way you want to live.

Hygge & West Home: Design for a Cozy Life by Christiana Coop and Aimee Lagos:  These notable tastemakers have curated a look into 20 covetable homes designed to promote feelings of coziness, companionship, and comfort.

Bringing the Outdoors In

Credit: Courtesy

Home Sweet Houseplant: A Room-by-Room Guide to Plant Decor by Baylor Chapman: Houseplants have the ability to instantly elevate the look of your home and add your own special flourishes. This book shows you where — and how — to begin.

Wild Interiors: Beautiful Plants in Beautiful Spaces by Hilton Carter: A journey in greenery led by the bestselling author’s unique eye and love of plants to show you how to create luscious interiors that not only look amazing but are good for your well-being, too.

Decorating with Plants: What to Choose, Ways to Style, and How to Make Them Thrive by Baylor Chapman: Nothing can add energy, style, and that essential “lived-in-ness” to home spaces better than a little bit of green. Chapman shows us where to begin.

Houseplants for All: How to Fill Any Home with Happy Plants by Danae Horst: A useful guide to selecting and growing plants for your home, including a plant profile quiz.

Handpicked: Simple, Sustainable, and Seasonal Flower Arrangements by Ingrid Carozzi: Organized by season, Carozzi’s book reveals her secrets for creating flower arrangements that are modern, original, and organic in style.

Mindfulness and Minimalism

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson: In Sweden, there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning (=“death” and städning = “cleaning”). Magnusson gives instructions for this surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings sooner, rather than later.

Minimalista: Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Better Home, Wardrobe, and Life by Shira Gill: Help to find your own style with this fresh and accessible guidebook to the world of interior design.

The New Mindful Home: And How to Make it Yours by Joanna Thornhill: Our spaces can play a big part in our emotional well-being. This book explains how to harness the power of mindfulness to help your home support a more considered lifestyle.

The Home Edit Life: The No-Guilt Guide to Owning What You Want and Organizing Everything by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin: The New York Times best-selling authors of The Home Edit show you how to contain the chaos and organize every aspect of your life.

Living Simply: A Teen Guide to Minimalism by Sally McGraw: A discussion of minimalism as a way of living for teens, this book provides a number of suggestions and resources for young people who want to scale down their carbon footprints.

Color and Creativity

Credit: Courtesy

A Colorful Life: Gere Kavanaugh, Designer by Louise Sandhaus and Kat Catmur: The designer Gere Kavanaugh is an irrepressible force of nature who epitomized the craft and folk vibe of the ’60s and ’70s California design scene and remains a larger-than-life personality today.

My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation by Donald M. Rattner:  Written by a noted architect, My Creative Space turns the rich trove of psychological research on workplace productivity and innovation into practical techniques for shaping a home.

Jungalow: Decorate Wild by Justina Blakeney:  A guide to designing creative and personal interiors with bold choices in color and patterns, cues from nature, and inspiration from personal heritage and travels.

Wonder Walls: How to Transform Your Space with Colorful Geometrics, Graphic Lettering, and Other Fabulous Paint Techniques by Phoebe Cornog and Roxy Prima:  Learn DIY wall-painting techniques to help discover the possibilities of paint and see walls as a canvas. This book covers wall preparation and paint selection, as well as step-by-step instructions.

Living in Color: Color in Contemporary Interior Design by Stella Paul and India Mahdavi:  An inspirational visual journey along the color spectrum, brought to life via the best contemporary residential interior design.

A Sense of Place

At Home in Joshua Tree: A Field Guide to Desert Living by Sara Combs and Rich Combs:  This beautifully illustrated lifestyle guide from the creators of The Joshua Tree House shows you how to infuse your life with desert vibes, from home designs and entertaining plans to wellness rituals.

Home Sweet Maison: The French Art of Making a Home by Danielle Postel-Vinay:  A lively, sophisticated, and practical illustrated lifestyle guide that shows how to live like the French every day, transforming your house into a home defined by beauty, family, and accessible elegance.

The California Casa by Douglas Woods:  A sumptuous and comprehensive look at Spanish Colonial Revival design, presenting a lavish portrait of the style through more than 300 color photographs.

Credit: Courtesy

Living in Mexico by Barbara & René Stoeltie:  A breathtaking look at some of Mexico’s most remarkable abodes. The authors have traveled far and wide, from Costa Careyes to the Yucatán Peninsula, seeking out homes to surprise, delight, and inspire.

Red Tile Style: America’s Spanish Revival Architecture by Arrol Gellner: A comprehensive survey of one of the most widespread and popular forms of American architecture. From bungalows and mansions to gas stations and government buildings, Gellner explores this diverse category of design.

Santa Barbara Style by Kathryn Masson: Explore the work of such architectural luminaries as Addison Mizner, Bertram Goodhue, Reginald D. Johnson, and George Washington Smith, among others.

Santa Barbara Living by Diane Dorrans Saeks: A beautifully photographed book that takes readers inside the mansions and estates of contemporary Santa Barbara.

Historical Influences

Making Midcentury Modern by Christopher Kennedy:  This book features 100 tips for bringing the principles of midcentury modern style to any home, from the acclaimed interior designer.

American Bungalow Style by Robert Winter:  Showcasing two dozen American houses that capture the bungalow spirit that enticed thousands of buyers during the form’s heyday from 1880 to 1930.

Spanish Colonial Style: Santa Barbara and the Architecture of James Osborne Craig and Mary McLaughlin Craig by Pamela Skewes-Cox and Robert Sweeney:  An ode to these influential architects, whose designs included the historic Casa de la Guerra and the Plaza Rubio complex across from the Mission Rose Garden.

Outdoor Living

Credit: Courtesy

Private Gardens of Santa Barbara: The Art of Outdoor Living by Margie Grace: A peek into 21 distinctive private gardens: large estates, modest homes, and surf retreats that run the gamut from sublime and naturalistic to bold and urban.

Organization Tips and Tricks

Martha Stewart’s Organizing: The Manual for Bringing Order to Your Life, Home & Routines by Martha Stewart:Tips, projects and ideas on how to organize everything from America’s most trusted lifestyle authority.

In addition to a wide selection of books, the Santa Barbara Public Library’s Databases & Resources page has information on how people can get signed up for free with LinkedIn Learning, which offers a number of courses on interior design and related skills. It also has information about accessing Skillshare (provided courtesy of the California State Library’s Career Pathways initiative), which has a great offering of interior design courses as well.

Santa Barbara Independent, May 19-25, 2002. ON THE COVER: Madame Ganna Walska, taken c. 1958. Photo by J.R. Eyerman/Lotus- land Archives. Design by Ava Talehakimi.

Originally published in the May 19-25 issue issue of the Santa Barbara Independent. To see the story as it originally appeared click here.

The Books of 2021

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante was one of my favorite books I read in 2021.

So many books, so little time—part 15.

My son started keeping a reading list in third grade, so I did too. This is the 15th year we’ve done this.

2021 was another weird year (with f-ing COVID still raging) but I finally got my reading mojo back. Between long walks with audio books and nights that were once spent socializing with friends and colleagues now spent curling up with books, I definitely read even more than in previous years.

My favorite books of 2021 were The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante (the second book in her excellent My Brilliant Friend series), The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley and Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (a return to top form after what I thought was a rare miss with Nine Perfect Strangers — though I still binged the whole series on Hulu).

I also really liked White Ivy by Susie Yang, The Turnout by Megan Abbott, Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau (I don’t know her personally but she grew up in Santa Barbara and is an excellent writer), Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney, Those Who Stay and Those Who Leave by Elena Ferrante (third in the series), The Huntress by Kate Quinn, Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, Good Riddance by Elinor Lipman, The Midnight Library by Matt Haigh, Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid and The Dutch House by Ann Patchett.

I’d love to hear what else people loved.

Here’s the 2021 list.

Rules for Being a Girl Candace Bushnell & Katie Cotugno
The First Mistake Sandie Jones
The Midnight Library Matt Haigh
Blackbird Fly (The Bennett Sisters Mysteries #1) Lise McClendon
Beach Read Emily Henry
The Dutch House Ann Patchett
Evidence of the Affair Taylor Jenkins Reid
Everyone’s a Critic Jennifer Weiner
The List Jade Chang
Face: A Memoir Marcia Meier
You Should See Me In A Crown Leah Johnson
Love and Death With the in Crowd Jessica Anya Blau
Self-Help Lorrie Moore
Members Only Sameer Pandya
Weightless Sarah Bannan
The Story of Arthur Truluv Elizabeth Berg
The People We Hate at the Wedding Grant Ginder
All We Can Save Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine K. Wilkinson
Just Like You Nick Hornby
The Other Woman Sandie Jones
The Half Sister Sandie Jones
Chances Are Richard Russo
Pretty Things Janelle Brown
Ready Player Two Ernest Cline
In a Holidaze Christina Lauren
The Hating Game Sally Thorne
Take a Hint, Dani Brown Talia Hibbert
White Fragility Robin DiAngelo
One True Loves Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins Reid
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything Janelle Brown
Jane in Love Rachel Givney
I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are Rachel Bloom
The Five-Year Hitch Melissa De la Cruz
Separation Anxiety Laura Zigman
The Divines Ellie Eaton
Dick Pic Mary H.K. Choi
The Authenticity Project Clare Pooley
Uncanny Valley: A Memoir Anna Wiener
The End of Everything Megan Abbott
The Guest Book Sarah Blake
The Boy, the mole, the fox and the horse Charlie Mackesy
Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life Christie Tate
While Justice Sleeps Stacey Abrams
Milkman Anna Burns
The Soulmate Equation Christina Lauren
The Chicken Sisters KJ Dell’Antonia
Malibu Rising Taylor Jenkins Reid
Get a Life, Chloe Brown Talia Hibbert
The Singles Game Lauren Weisberger
The Wedding Gift Carolyn Brown
Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating Christina Lauren
Neighbors Elizabeth La Ban and Melissa DePino
Adulting Liz Talley
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore Matthew J. Sullivan
Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures Emma Straub
Good Riddance Elinor Lipman
One to Watch Kate Stayman-London
Inclusive Conversations Mary-Frances Winters
Royal Holiday Jasmine Guillory
Everybody Loves Kamau W. Kamau Bell
Boyfriends of Dorothy Wednesday Martin
Everyone’s Happy Rufi Thorpe
The Edge of Falling Rebecca Serle
Act Your Age Eve Brown Talia Hibbert
Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty Lauren Weisberger
Astrid Sees All Natalie Standiford
A Promised Land Barack Obama
That Summer Jennifer Weiner
The Hunting Party Lucy Foley
The Story of a New Name Elena Ferrante
Unsheltered Barbara Kingsolver
The Last Thing He Told Me Laura Dave
Good Company Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
Helen of Pasadena Lian Dolan
When Stars Collide Susan Elizabeth Phillips
White Ivy Susie Yang
Untamed Glennon Doyle
Apples Never Fall Liane Moriarty
It Had To Be You Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Nobody’s Baby But Mine Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Seven Days in June Tia Williams
Heaven, Texas Susan Elizabeth Phillips
The Book of Lost and Found Lucy Foley
Match me if You Can Susan Elizabeth Phillips
The Rose Code Kate Quinn
Girl, Woman, Other Bernardine Evaristo
The President’s Daughter Bill Clinton & James Patterson
The Heart Principle Helen Hoang
The Paper Palace Miranda Cowley Heller
The Huntress Kate Quinn
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay Ferrante Elena
This Heart of Mine Susan Elizabeth Phillips
The Kiss Quotient Helen Hoang
Dream a Little Dream Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Beautiful World, Where are You Sally Rooney
No Judgements Meg Cabot
A Bookworm’s Guide to Faking It Emma Hart
This is Not the End Chandler Baker
No Offense Meg Cabot
Mary Jane Jessica Anya Blau
Bliss Shay Mitchell & Michaela Blaney
Shipped Angie Hockman
The Turnout Megan Abbott
Fake Accounts Lauren Oyler
If the Shoe Fits Julie Murphy
The Husbands Chandler Baker

Previous Book Lists

The Books of 2020

The Books of 2019

The Books of 2018

The Books of 2017

The Books of 2016

The Books of 2015

The Books of 2014

The Books of 2013

The Books of 2012

The Books of 2011

The Books of 2010

The Books of 2009

The Books of 2008

The Books of 2007

Connect, Discuss, and Explore at Vistas Lifelong Learning

Learning new things and maintaining a vibrant social life are two of the key pillars that experts say will keep our brains sharp and healthy. This is exactly what the nonprofit Vistas Lifelong Learning (vistaslifelonglearning.org) offers to the community.

This volunteer-run organization, which started in 1999, is dedicated to keeping aging brains nimble with ongoing educational programs on a wide variety of topics. Recent
courses included Foods That Changed the World (exploring foods that have changed the world in profound and delicious social, political, and economic ways); Unpacking
the Dementia Epidemic (current thinking about the causes of dementias, dementia management, and how to stay on top of new developments); and Politics and
Religion in Verdi’s Operas (with audio and video extracts from modern performances of the operas).

The depth and variety of the programming is impressive, but the social component of Vistas is equally important to its success. “I think of all the connections that people find through Vistas,” said President Jim Hemmer. “There are two book clubs; there’s a short story class; there are memoir writing classes. And in our in-person programs — which moved to Zoom during the pandemic and will resume in the fall — there’s always a 20-minute coffee break in the middle so people can socialize and see old friends and meet other similarly situated people.”

For Hemmer, who retired from a career as an attorney in Chicago and moved to Santa Barbara with his wife, Francine, in January 2017, becoming part of Vistas has been a great way to engage his brain and find a community. Though it’s not a requirement, many of the Vistas presenters are members as well.

A longtime history buff, Hemmer found his way to the organization through a presentation on the Silk Road that he made to a luncheon group called The Cosmopolitan Club (sbcosmo.com). A Vistas member suggested he present to that group, and the response was so positive that Hemmer ended up teaching three different courses on the journey of the historical Silk Roads through China’s current efforts to reinvigorate them today.

“Vistas really attempts to satisfy this desire to learn things, and being a presenter is a wonderful way of doing that,” said Hemmer. “Taking other people’s classes is also great. I find that because I’m busy preparing presentations, I don’t have time to take all the classes I’d like to. I’ve been very busy during the pandemic, and it’s just great.”

Vistas is a small group, explained Hemmer, fluctuating between 300 and 400 members, and is not affiliated with any college or other institution. Programs are open to the public for a small fee, and the fees are less for members. (Annual membership fees are $40 per person for email-only communications and $50 for snail mail, with individual classes averaging $9 per session for members and $14 for nonmembers.)

“It’s a really varied and interesting group of people,” Hemmer says. The mostly retired members come from very diverse careers, ranging from former judges, teachers, and
docents to social workers, librarians, and secretaries, just to name a few.

Upcoming programs in the fall include a reprise of the Silk Road series; the short history of cryptography; the writer James Baldwin; climate change and the impact on the Great American Waterways; criminal procedure; economic issues; and the social safety net in the U.S., with additional courses and details still being finalized.

“We have a very, very wide palette. There’s somebody for everybody,” said Hemmer. “It’s a wide variety of programs on science, history, current events, music and fine arts, and so on.” Research suggests that humans learn better in social environments. “The brain is triggered more through discussion and questions than from solitary activities such as
independent reading,” said Hemmer.

“So it turns out that Vistas’ cooperative spirit that we’re all in it together and we get our ideas from other members is particularly beneficial in the case of seniors.”

See vistaslifelonglearning.org.

Originally published in The Santa Barbara Independent on August 12, 2021. Cover photo by Erick Madrid. To read this special section as it originally appeared in print, click here.

GET IMMERSED IN A BOOK

Book face photos by Erik Mendez, Santa Barbara Public Library.

Bringing book covers to life scores volumes on social media via #BookfaceFridays on the
Santa Barbara Public Library Instagram account (@sbplibrary). A popular meme in the
book-loving community for quite some time, Bookface photos—images in which a person
is strategically lined up with a book cover so that life and art appear to meld—are a great
way to showcase literature from the library’s collections, according to library marketing
specialist Erick Mendez.

“We get a lot of positive feedback and a lot of reposts,” says Mendez. “It’s great to see the
community of books and libraries sharing and getting inspiration from one another. It’s
never about competing to see who can do the best one, it’s always about showcasing books we love and finding a way to promote literature through covers.”

Originally published in the Summer 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine. Cover photo by Gary Moss. To see the story as it originally appeared click here.

Seasons Star in Lush Life Cookbook

 

Seasons Star in Lush Life Cookbook, originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent on May 20, 2021.

Valerie Rice brings a seasonal symphony of gardening, cooking, and entertaining to Lush Life, a glossy new cookbook from the author of eatdrinkgarden.com. “We’re so lucky that you can grow year-round gardens here,” said Rice, who populated her first book with 150 seasonal recipes, including cocktails, entertaining tips, wine pairing advice from renowned expert Rajat Parr, and gorgeous photography by Gemma and Andrew Ingalls.

“It’s kind of a handbook for life here in Santa Barbara,” said Rice, who believes the key to deliciousness all starts in the garden. “When you grow in season, it not only tastes better and works better but also is great for palate fatigue.” She suggests starting “with a sunny spot in your garden and make sure you have great soil” and then mixing compost and organic potting soil together and calendaring at least two days a week to work in the dirt. Keep the garden where you can see it from the kitchen. “Grow something that you really
love to eat so you’re excited to go out there and harvest it,” she said. “And grow what is
appropriate for the season.”

With this in mind, each section of Lush Life starts with tips on what to eat for that season and what to plant for the next season. “What grows together goes together,” advised Rice, “so whether you’re pulling it from your garden or walking around the Tuesday Farmers’ Market, a lot of the stuff that’s offered is just delicious together.”

Golden Beets & Blood Oranges with Citrus Vinaigrette, from Lush Life by Valerie Rice. Photo by Gemma and Andrew Ingalls.

Golden Beets & Blood Oranges with Citrus Vinaigrette, from Lush Life by Valerie Rice. Photo by Gemma and Andrew Ingalls.

Here is a streamlined version of her spring recipe for Golden Beets & Blood Oranges
with Citrus Vinaigrette.

CITRUS VINAIGRETTE: In a mason jar, shake ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons
white balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper.

SALAD: Boil 6 to 8 medium golden beets and cool. Slice 6 blood oranges into ½-inch-thick slices, and place in a bowl with any reserved juices from the cutting board. Toss the beets with 2 cups of lightly packed watercress or mâche, arrange in a shallow bowl or platter, and tuck in the orange slices. Taste for seasoning and add more dressing, if needed. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with mint.

See eatdrinkgarden.com.

Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent on May 20, 2021. To see the story as it originally appeared, click here.