Outside in the vegie garden you can hear the raindrops falling softly but inside you will find one of my favourite rooms in the house: four huge walls of floor-to-ceiling dark wooden bookshelves filled with the most wonderful books, all categorised. A rolling wooden ladder awaits you to reach the highest shelves. In the centre of the room on the rich wood floorboards is an antique chaise lounge wrapped in soft white cotton, a sheepskin rug at the foot, and a cream mohair rug thrown across the arm of the chair. A long light hangs directly above the chair to illuminate the pages of your chosen book..
Oh, and Alfred The Butler comes in with a cup of tea or a glass of sherry at your request. Enjoy the following reads…
Just finished reading:
Isabel Losada’s A Beginners Guide to Changing the World. Hilarious. Motivating. Fun. and totally me. So much so that if Isabel didn’t write this book it would have been me, I’m sure of it. She speaks my language. “Think Globally. Act Joyfully.” A must read.
Currently Reading:
Good New’s For A Change by David Suzuki and Holly Dressel. I’ve been hooked on David since I heard him interviewed on Triple J some years ago. This is my first book of his that I am reading.
On the coffee table:
Photographer Hans Silvester’s stella book on tribal fashion titled Natural Fashion.
I adore this book and am so inspired everytime i pick it up. Guests love it.
For the artist in you…
The Artists Way by Julia Cameron
Business for the entrepeneur…
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
The E-Myth (Revisited) by Michael Gerber
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
Cash Flow (which is not a book but a game) by the above mentioned Kiyosaki
Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson
Pure Inspiration + Indulgence…
Water Babies by Charles Kingsley
all Tin Tin’s by Hergé, now available in cute small versions, perfect for reading on planes and trains
all Les Schroumpfs (The Smurfs) by Peyo
Cooking…
Healthy Cooking by Rosemary Stanton - a must have on the shelf.
Luscious by Michele Cranston (and any other Michele Cranston book, her recipes are real and all divine)
Take Three by Jill Dupleix - just 3 main ingredients to remember, easy peasy and delicious ideas.
Jamie Oliver (has an entire shelf of his own)
more cookbooks to come as I get the chance to peruse the cooking section of my bookshelf.
Interiors…
My Island Home by India Hicks
Sensual Home by Ilse Crawford
The Treehouse Book by Peter Nelson and Judy Nelson… I want to build a treehouse in the backyard now.
Vivre à la Montagne by Philippe Saharoff and Gwenaëlle Leprat… and have a house in the mountains too.
A Place for Everything: Organizing the Stuff of Life by Peri Wolfman and Charles Gold
Recycled Home by Mark Bailey and Sally Bailey (read our review here)
Junk Style by Melanie Molesworth
Pottery Barn Kids: Kids’ Rooms (Pottery Barn Kids) by Clay Ide, Gretchen Clark, and Melanie Acevedo
Fashion….
It’s Vintage, Darling!: How to Be a Clothes Connoisseur by Christa Weil
Tibet + China
Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land by Patrick French
Cave in the Snow by Tenzin Palmo
Tintin Au Tibet (Tintin) by Hergé
Last Seen in Lhasa: The Story of an Extraordinary Friendship in Modern Tibet by Claire Scobie
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Sogyal Rinpoche
The Secret Lives of Alexandra David-Neel: A Biography of the Explorer of Tibet and Its Forbidden Practices by Barbara Foster and Michael Foster
My Journey to Lhasa by Alexandra David-Neel
Dalai Lama, My Son: A Mother’s Story by Diki Tsering
Mantras and Misdemeanours by Vanessa Walker
Reincarnation by Vicki McKenzie
A Beginners Guide to Changing the World by Isabel Losada
Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang
Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang (Author), Jon Halliday
Travel…
Monsoon Diaries by Shoba Narayan
A Baby in A Backpack to Bhutan by Bunty Avieson
Holy Cow by Sarah MacDonald
Almost French by Sarah Turnbull
City Walks: Paris published by Chronicle Books
City Walks: Amsterdam published by Chronicle Books
Books I would like to add to the library:
Small Eco Houses (Evergreen Series) by Simone Schleifer
New Sustainable Homes: Designs for Healthy Living by James Grayson Trulove
Reviews and suggestions for additions are very welcome.
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Hi Pia!!!
This is a beautiful blog well presented and thoughtfully written!!
Cheers
Anu
December 17th, 2007 | #
Hi Pia, great blog, very inspiring!
December 20th, 2007 | #
Thanks Pia! I must have a look at some of these books,
xxx
March 24th, 2008 | #
Thanks Alfred, just black, no sugar.
Pia, how do you find the time to tend to your beautiful blog, travel the world, WORK! and read books?????? I need to know your secret and it can’t include only needing 6 hours sleep. My children run me ragged…. I need a minimum of 8 hours.
May 8th, 2008 | #