Susannah Felts

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Lifestyles: October 2021

Feature by Susannah Felts

The best lifestyles books of the month will give you a creative boost from the workplace to the kitchen.

★ Creative Acts for Curious People

Tell the story of your worst first date using only LEGOs. Design an ad campaign for bananas. Describe an ability you’d use to survive a zombie apocalypse. Ask someone to tell you the story of their name. These are but a few of the assignments in Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways, developed from the teachings of Stanford University’s well-respected design school (known as the d.school), where students collaborate and innovate in fresh, surprising ways for the greater good. Need a change of perspective on a project or an escape hatch from routine thinking? Want to encourage your team to loosen up, give helpful feedback or challenge biases? Look no further. “In the face of current challenges—those here today and those yet to come—we all need ways to prepare to act even when we are uncertain,” writes d.school executive director Sarah Stein Greenberg. Whether you’re an independent artist seeking new approaches to your work or a leader aiming to mentor and galvanize your people, this book has an experience for you. I plan to put it to use in my own nonprofit leadership and personal creative projects.

The Tiny Kitchen Cookbook

Annie Mahle spent many years cooking for groups of 24 in the galley kitchen of a schooner, so you could say she’s earned her small-space stripes. In The Tiny Kitchen Cookbook: Strategies and Recipes for Creating Amazing Meals in Small Spaces, Mahle gathers recipes requiring little cookware or fuss, including one-pan dinners, toaster oven-friendly bakes and small dishes that can serve as snacks or light entrees. She shares tips for making the best of your (limited) workspace and, in a genius section called “Use It Up,” offers ideas for what to do with ingredients that tend to linger, like buttermilk, cauliflower and pumpkin puree. In the tiny (vacation) house of my dream-future, this will be the only cookbook on hand, but for now it will be a welcome addition to my home kitchen, with its charming lack of counter space.

Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys

I happen to live in the same state as Sandor Katz, and he’s the sort of fellow Tennessean that makes me proud to call this place home. Katz gained an international following with his 2003 bestseller, The Art of Fermentation, the success of which took him across the globe. Now he’s back with Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys: Recipes, Techniques, and Traditions From Around the World, which explores microbial activity in the culinary traditions of China, Peru and other places far, far from Cannon County, Tennessee. Think tepache in Mexico, sour cabbages in Croatia, pickled tea leaves in Burma, koji in Japan and much more. Part travelogue, part cookbook, part chemistry experiment, Katz’s new book is a fascinating look at fermented foods the world over, and it aims, always, to be a respectful one.

The best lifestyles books of the month will give you a creative boost from the workplace to the kitchen.
NonfictionBody, Mind & Spirit

Everybody

Review by Susannah Felts

In The Lonely City (2016), Olivia Laing traced a connection from her own experience of loneliness to the work of artists such as Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, Henry Darger and David Wojnarowicz. The result was a tapestry like no other, a tender exploration of art-making and human experience cast through an empathic prism. 

Everybody: A Book About Freedom finds Laing taking a similar approach as she masterfully shares stories of fascinating artists and historical figures. This time, the psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich is at the cosmic center of an even more wide-ranging inquiry that looks, with hope, at the idea of freedom from oppression related to skin color, sexual identity or gender.

Reich, a protégé of Sigmund Freud, believed that “the past is interred in our bodies, every trauma meticulously preserved, walled up alive.” Later in life he became known for his orgone boxes, pseudoscientific devices that attracted the attention of the FDA and led to his imprisonment. Which is to say that his legacy is a complicated, even tainted one, but Laing treats him with the same gentle perspicacity she extends to her other subjects, which include Susan Sontag, Kathy Acker, sexual liberationists in Weimar Berlin, the artist Agnes Martin, Bayard Rustin and Nina Simone.

Her net, in short, is breathtakingly, ambitiously wide. Her stakes could not be higher—freedom for all bodies, “unharried by any hierarchy of form.” Along with Reich, Laing’s consistent interest here is the human body and its quest for pure freedom. How did each of these cultural and intellectual figures fight to liberate their body? How did the prevailing forces of the time work against them? These questions link Laing’s journey, which is as concerned with bodily freedom as with the way trauma can operate, years past its inception, as a barrier to said freedom. Along the way she peers inward to her past as an herbalist, environmental protestor and child of gay parents in the 1980s.

“I still don’t believe in orgone boxes,” Laing concludes, “but I do think Reich found his way to durable truths. I think the weight of history abides in our private bodies. Each of us carries a legacy of personal and inherited trauma, operating within an unequal grid of rules and laws that depends upon the kind of body we were born into. At the same time, we are porous and capable of mysterious effects on each other’s lives.” Everybody is a nonpareil study that delights the intellect.

Olivia Laing casts a breathtakingly, ambitiously wide net, and the stakes of her subject—freedom for all bodies—could not be higher.
Lifestyles

The Art of Mindful Reading

Review by Susannah Felts

As a bibliophile and teacher, I’m naturally drawn to The Art of Mindful Reading. Ella Berthoud preaches the benefits and balm of slow, thoughtful reading and the deep enjoyment of physical books and the printed word. She provides fresh ideas and exercises for retraining your brain to tune out distractions so you can truly dive deep into story or poem. She draws on compelling research—did you know fiction readers are shown to live longer?—and her argument for reading as a means to improved concentration and overall mental health couldn’t be more relevant, as we’re all feeling the strain of life in the attention economy.

Ella Berthoud preaches the benefits and balm of slow, thoughtful reading and the deep enjoyment of physical books and the printed word.
Lifestyles

Fresh Face

Review by Susannah Felts

Every woman in my circle cops to a fascination with the science-meets-self-care world of serums, masks and exfoliants. That said, I feel desperate for a trail guide when I walk into Sephora. Enter Fresh Face, which defines skin care as integral to well-being. Mandi Nyambi lays out routines for different skin types, concerns and situations. (A few favorites are “When You’re on a 14-Hour Flight,” “Broke B*itch” and “After a Day of Mansplaining.”) She introduces the cutting-edge concept of the microbiome, “the ecosystem of microorganisms . . . that live in and around the surface of the skin,” noting that bacteria can in fact be your buddies when it comes to a clear complexion. My 11-year-old wrinkled her nose at this idea, but I suspect this book will be a useful tool for her in years to come. 

Mandi Nyambi lays out routines for different skin types, concerns and situations.
Lifestyles

The Boho Manifesto

Review by Susannah Felts

I can’t take it too seriously, but that didn’t keep me from being ridiculously entertained by The Boho Manifesto by self-described “gypset” (gypsy + jet-setter) Julia Chaplin. She dates the new bohemian era to the 2008 economic crash and peers at it from every angle—from meditation and yoga to polyamory and chakra sightseeing. Sprinkled throughout are amusing illustrations of subtypes: tantric yogi, activist farmer, fermentation goddess (“sells her natural fragrance made from soil, wild thyme flower, and wood on her e–commerce site”). Chaplin likely had a delightful time putting this book together, and if you see even a moon-dust particle of yourself in these pages, you’ll dig it, too. Palo santo not included. 

Self-described “gypset” (gypsy + jet-setter) Julia Chaplin dates the new bohemian era to the 2008 economic crash and peers at it from every angle—from meditation and yoga to polyamory and chakra sightseeing.
Lifestyles

Grow in the Dark

Review by Susannah Felts

If you’ve visited a plant store lately, you’ve no doubt seen the words “bright, indirect light” on many of the specimens for sale. Problem is, not everyone’s home boasts Instagrammable light conditions, and there are low-light rooms or nooks in even the most well-lit abode. Grow in the Dark, as its clever name suggests, is here for those spaces, focusing on the (many!) plants that thrive in low and medium light. (Of note: In general, variegated plants need more light than monochromatic green.) The plants are photographed in dramatic, shadowy, low-light conditions against colorful backdrops, which makes this book visually distinctive in a bumper crop of houseplant guides. Lisa Eldred Steinkopf also covers the use of electric lights and tips for buying plants. The bottom line? It matters where you shop.

If you’ve visited a plant store lately, you’ve no doubt seen the words “bright, indirect light” on many of the specimens for sale. Problem is, not everyone’s home boasts Instagrammable light conditions, and there are low-light rooms or nooks in even the most well-lit abode.…

Lifestyles

The Foraged Home

Review by Susannah Felts

Do you love old things, natural things? Driftwood, bird nests, pebbles, branches, swatches of fabric, chipped crockery? Then, like me, you’ll love The Foraged Home, a gorgeous collection of things cast off, aged, repurposed, brimming with story and mystery. There are all manner of twigs, branches and dried flowers positioned artfully in neutral–washed settings; there are also short narrative vignettes about the interesting people who created these unique settings and possess “the foraging outlook,” as author Oliver Maclennan describes it. (His wife, Joanna Maclennan, shot the photographs.) “People forget that time itself is an artist,” says one subject. “We take our time, enjoying the imperfections and often changing things.”

Do you love old things, natural things? Driftwood, bird nests, pebbles, branches, swatches of fabric, chipped crockery? Then, like me, you’ll love The Foraged Home, a gorgeous collection of things cast off, aged, repurposed, brimming with story and mystery.

Lifestyles

The Art of Happy Living

Review by Susannah Felts

I don’t plan to move house anytime soon, but someday, when the time comes, I’ll be very glad to have Ali Wenzke’s The Art of Happy Moving. What a thorough little book this is, covering everything from making the tough decisions about why and where to move, to hiring a realtor and staging your home, to moving-day survival tips. And Wenzke doesn’t just get you out the door sans stress. She has a lot of helpful ideas about how to make friends and integrate into new communities—for both you and your kids. The book is peppered with personality quizzes, charts and fill-in-the-blanks to help you discern what matters most, and Wenzke adds just enough personal narrative to make you feel both entertained and in capable hands.

I don’t plan to move house anytime soon, but someday, when the time comes, I’ll be very glad to have Ali Wenzke’s The Art of Happy Moving. What a thorough little book this is, covering everything from making the tough decisions about why and where to move, to hiring a realtor and staging your home, to moving-day survival tips.

LifestylesHealth & Fitness

How to Be Well

Review by Susannah Felts

I don’t often cover health books here—there are so many, all filled with worthy but seemingly similar content. But Dr. Frank Lippman’s updated edition of How to Be Well caught my eye. “[A] manual of the essential skills that anyone can use to navigate safely and smoothly through the wild terrain of wellness today,” this one is so gorgeously designed that I genuinely wanted to keep looking at it. Lippman’s advice covers everything from bone broth to foam rollers to electromagnetic frequencies. A lot of what’s here is textbook health-service journalism fare, but also included is a list of healthy fats (think smoothies, tahini, Brussels sprouts with bacon), eight ways to “harness the power of dark to improve your sleep,” 10 baking-soda cleaning hacks and more. An index of basic protocols for common complaints and goals—brain fog, acne, weight loss, anxiety—is an especially nice way to close out this book. 

A manual of the essential skills that anyone can use to navigate safely and smoothly through the wild terrain of wellness today.

LifestylesDesign

Wabi Sabi

Review by Susannah Felts

As a self-described Japanologist and life coach, author Beth Kempton was surprised when she asked Japanese people to define wabi sabi—the concept of perfect imperfection—and the most common answer was, “It’s difficult to explain.” But Kempton persisted, and in Wabi Sabi, she lays out the characteristics of this concept and explains how they can be applied to our goal-oriented, consumer-driven, productivity-obsessed Western lives. An early section, “How is wabi sabi relevant today?” makes a compelling argument for its usefulness, and in chapters such as “Simplifying + beautifying,” “Acceptance + letting go” and “Reframing failure,” Kempton applies wabi sabi in practical ways, going beyond the common interior-styling or object-related application of the concept. This meaty book in a pretty, petite package is grounded by the author’s passion for and knowledge of Japan.

Beth Kempton lays out the characteristics of this concept and explains how they can be applied to our goal-oriented, consumer-driven, productivity-obsessed Western lives. 

LifestylesDesign

HausMagick

Review by Susannah Felts

New Age practices have been getting updated lately, and Erica Feldmann’s HausMagick is one of the best examples I’ve seen yet. This “spellbook of interior alchemy” is an offshoot of HausWitch, Feldmann’s Salem, Massachusetts, shop where she sells all of the necessary tools for domestic witchery. Here, she lays out information on essential oils, herbs, energy work, crystals, astrology, tarot, cozy crafts and a few recipes to teach you how to create a happier, more aesthetically grounded home. Your personal space may just be cleaner, tidier and more welcoming with the help of various home-focused spells, which she calls “prayers with props,” but overall, Feldmann shares ways to help you feel empowered, less stressed and more self-aware by paying attention to your domestic surroundings.

This “spellbook of interior alchemy” is an offshoot of HausWitch, Feldmann’s Salem, Massachusetts, shop where she sells all of the necessary tools for domestic witchery.
LifestylesCrafts, Hobbies & Home

May I Come In?

Review by Susannah Felts

Top Pick in Lifestyles, December 2018

A similar approach can be found in famed stylist Wendy Goodman’s May I Come In?: Discovering the World in Other People’s Houses. Like Thompson, Goodman, driven by curiosity, makes a study of the interiors of artistic individuals. “[T]he most captivating rooms exist where decoration is a by-product of a person’s passions in life,” she writes. But Goodman’s quest is fueled by A-list access, and the spaces she explores belong to figures like Richard Avedon, Donatella and Gianni Versace and Todd Oldham. The homes on display here are sometimes quite posh and ornate, and other times more modest but rip-roaringly colorful, bursting with aesthetic whimsy. Goodman’s introductory essays are wonderful soupçons of observation; of Gloria Vanderbilt, she writes, “Nothing better illustrates her originality, or instinct for design, than the bedroom she created on East Sixty-Seventh Street, where she covered every inch of the room—walls, floor, and ceiling—with a collage of cut-up quilts.” Come, settle in for a look at the living quarters of the cultural elite.

 

This article was originally published in the December 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

 

Come, settle in for a look at the living quarters of the cultural elite.

LifestylesCrafts, Hobbies & Home

Artists’ Homes

Review by Susannah Felts

In Artists’ Homes: Live/Work Spaces for Modern Makers, photographer and author Tom Harford Thompson lets the smallest details in the homes and workspaces of U.K.-based artists do the work of telling their stories. For this project, Thompson insisted on no styling, staging or “tidying up,” and the resulting images hum with quiet authenticity. “Some may dismiss these details as just so much clutter,” he writes, “but they often tell us more about the people who live there than their choice of sofa or new car.” The artists and makers include a potter, a sculptor, a classic-car dealer, a journalist and many more. Tidbits of backstory are tucked into thoughtful captions surrounding photos, so people, rather than places, are the real subjects here. This book feels less intended as design inspiration and more as an unfiltered peek into creative lives.

 

This article was originally published in the December 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

 

In Artists’ Homes: Live/Work Spaces for Modern Makers, photographer and author Tom Harford Thompson lets the smallest details in the homes and workspaces of U.K.-based artists do the work of telling their stories.

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