The 2012 Book List
Tue, August 21, 2012 at 02:58PM 
UPDATE: August 21, 2012
I've read 18 books which means I'm on track to reach my 25 30 book reading goal. I'm reading 4 books and there are 150 books on my to-read shelf at Goodreads. I'm really pushing myself this year to read more. I read in really small increments - 20 min here and there.
The big news is that I've joined Audible and the kids and I cannot believe we haven't tried this sooner. I actually thought that I would be bored listening to a book in the car. Turns out - depends on the book! I are listening to Grisham's Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
♥ Indicates books I've especially enjoyed... there's a list of books I recommend in Art Journalng 101 as well.
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The 2012 List of Possibilities, no particular order.
Stats: My reading goal for 2012 is 25 books. In 2011 I read 18 books. In 2010 I read 31 books. There are 147 books on my TO READ shelf at Goodreads. This time last year, there were 130. Disclaimer: Books will be added + deleted. Past lists: 2009 List + 2010 List + 2011 List
Art + Creativity
The Journal Junkies Workshop,
Rethinking Acrylic
Painting Abstracts: Ideas, Projects + Techniques
And the Story Is Happening
The True and the Questions
Brave on the Rocks
Cultivating Delight: A Natural History of My Garden
Collage, Assemblage, and Altered Art
Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Mapmaking
Artist's Journal Workshop
Color: A Natural History of the Palette
You Are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination, Harmon {read Aug 2012}
Living the Creative Life: Ideas and Inspiration from Working Artists
On Writing
The Art of Fiction
Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook
Good Mail Day: A Primer for Making Eye-Popping Postal Art
How to Be an Explorer of the World
Fiction
Case Histories
One Good Turn
Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Atkinson
Not the End of the World
Started Early, Took My Dog
The Great Gatsby
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Red Square, Smith {read March 2012}
Havana Bay
Amsterdam
The Art of Travel
Gift from the Sea
A Wrinkle in Time, L'Engle
The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel
The Phantom Tollbooth
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
Other Non-Fiction
Caesar's Way, Milan {read June 2012}
Kitchen Confidential
Project-Based Homeschooling: Mentoring Self-Directed Learners
A Short List of Creative Books I Recommend
Art + Creativity
The Creative License AND An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory ♥
Spilling Open: The Art of Becoming Yourself
1,000 Artist Journal Pages by Dawn DeVries Sokol ♥
Kaleidoscope: Ideas & Projects to Spark Your Creativity
Creative Illustration Workshop for Mixed-Media Artists, Dunn ♥
Journal Spilling
An Illustrated Life (Artist Journals + Sketchbooks), Gregory ♥
The Art Journal Workshop
Color Mixing Bible
Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists, Sonheim
Writing + Prompts
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Lamott
4 A.M. Breakthrough: Unconventional Writing Exercises, Kiteley ♥
The Right to Write
Reader Comments (8)
LOVE Kate Atkinson, and the adventures of Kavalier & Clay is one of my favorite all time books. There are so many books on your recommended list that I've been dying to read. I've found some through inter-library loan, but others I'm just going to have to break down and buy! I was reviewing my 2011 book list and noticed I had read 14 books in the first 2 months of the year, but then in March I created my art space and all but stopped reading! (only 6 books read during the next 10 months).
{Tammy}: iamrushmore, I just finished Case Histories and LOVED it! I've been hearing about Kavalier & Clay for years... I like Chabon's quirky style. Our library also has a super limited selection of art and creative books, which is unfortunate. In fact I went to "the largest indie bookstore" in Dallas-Ft Worth last week and there was one one shelf width sized section for crafty/sewing/mixed media type stuff (mostly knitting). And to your point about art time and reading time - I totally get that! No question that I read fewer books a) since having kids and b) since I started to do art.
i just found your blog and couldn't be happier. i love your style, your creative experiments and the bright energy of your posts. your art book list is so much like mine that I had to leave a comment today! i just started blogging about art journaling about a week ago and wanted to tell you that you're someone i'll be looking to for inspiration. thanks for the beautiful art!
{Tammy}: Caroline, Welcome! We do have a lot of fun at Daisy Yellow and I am happy that you stopped in to say hello. I hope you find creative blogging and sharing your artwork fun! So many books, such little time...
I notice when I have creative dry spells, I usually am reading a lot. I've finished 5 books already this summer. . . but pretty much no art journal pages. ;) I love your list, there are some new-to-me authors there.
I love this list, and I love your heart system. :) I have read much less books since I began arting, but this year I decided to make a concerted effort to read more. I have never counted art books in my total. I am going to now. It makes me feel better.
Oooo! I love Atkinson! Really great mysteries. And Amsterdam. I should follow you on Goodreads. Thanks for the mention here.
Great list here! I just finished reading Vanessa Dieffenbach's The Language of Flowers and really loved it.
On Writing (Stephen King) is one of my all time favorite reads on creative habit (and I own them all, I think). Love it.
Just finished Gold by Chris Cleeve it was a good read and timely with the London Olympics
Also non-fiction The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball - a Memoir of farming, food and Love. Really enjoyed this one. Already 2 more in hand at least . . . . .probably like 5-10!!!