Interview with Miranda Keeling, author of The Year I Stopped to Notice
Miranda Keeling, author of The Year I Stopped to Notice recommends some fantastic books! Before jumping into the interview, please check out Miranda's book:
Review from Book Depository:
January: A man walking along Caledonian Road falls over onto the huge roll of bubble wrap he is hugging, perhaps for just this sort of situation.
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The Year I Stopped to Notice
Inspired by her popular Twitter account, The Year I Stopped to Notice brings together Miranda Keeling's observations of the magic, humour, strangeness and beauty in ordinary life. Through the changing seasons, on city streets and on buses, in parks and cafes, Miranda notices things: moments between friends, the interactions of strangers, children delighting in the world around them, the quiet melancholy of lost items on the pavement.
Accompanied by stunning watercolour illustrations from Luci Power, Miranda's poetic vignettes take us on journeys of discovery and share with us the joy of stopping to notice.
September: On a sweltering, packed rush-hour train, my arm suddenly feels lovely and cool, and I look down to see a shopping bag held by the woman beside me - full of just-bought cartons of milk.
Buy On:
Easons €18.19
Book Depository €11.60
Waterstones £12.99
Wordery $12.66
Q. Do you have a favourite smart thinking book (and why that book)?
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is a book that really affected the way I think about living. We can have a tendency to live unhealthily because we either do not truly accept that we will die and continue as if there will always be another day or feel the weight of death so heavily that we cannot enjoy being here. This book was an interesting insight into a set of spiritual beliefs and rituals that I didn't know much about interspersed with practical insights into developing good states of mind, like focus, clarity and compassion.
Review From Book Depository:
Written by the Buddhist meditation master and popular international speaker Soygal Rinpoche, this highly acclaimed book clarifies the majestic vision of life and death that underlies the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. It includes not only a lucid, inspiring and complete introduction to the practice of meditation but also advice on how to care for the dying with love and compassion, and how to bring them help of a spiritual kind.
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The Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying: A Spiritual Classic from One of the Foremost Interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism to the West
But there is much more besides in this classic work, which was written to inspire all who read it to begin the journey to enlightenment and so become 'servants of peace.'
Buy On:
Book Depository €13.19
Waterstones £12.99
Wordery $12.66
Q. What's the most recent smart thinking book you've read (and how would you rate it)?
I recently read Nobody Told Me by Holly McNish. It is a memoir of prose and poetry set over the first years of her daughter's life. It is a beautiful, funny, visceral book and I would rate Hollie's searing honesty very highly.
Review From Book Depository:
There were many things that Hollie McNish didn't know before she was pregnant. How her family and friends would react; that Mr Whippy would be off the menu; how quickly ice can melt on a stomach. These were on top of the many other things she didn't know about babies: how to stand while holding one; how to do a poetry gig with your baby as a member of the audience; how drum'n'bass can make a great lullaby. And that's before you even start on toddlers.
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Nobody Told Me: Poetry and Parenthood
But Hollie learned.
And she's still learning, slowly. Nobody Told Me is a collection of poems and stories; Hollie's thoughts on raising a child in modern Britain, of trying to become a parent in modern Britain, of sex, commercialism, feeding, gender and of finding secret places to scream once in a while.
Buy On:
Book Depository €9.28
Waterstones £9.99
Wordery $10.99
Q. Do you have a favourite childhood book?
I have so many! One of my favourites is Clifford The Big Red Dog. I was entranced by the little girl's confidence in her ability to help her tiny dog grow and the magic that she causes with sheer will. At the time, my family had adopted a small rescue dog. The shelter told us it was a poodle and would stay small. They were wrong. It was a Briard (a large, French sheepdog). He grew up to be big, hairy and wonderful and my brother and I adored him. I think that's why the story especially resonated with me at that time. I read it to my daughter now, and she loves it too.
Review From Book Depository:
Experience the joy and magic of the original Clifford!
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Clifford the Big Red Dog
This gorgeous hardcover is a reprint of the Norman Bridwell's
Clifford the Big Red Dog from 1963.
Featuring the original two-colour art and landscape trim size,
this special storybook feels both nostalgic and timeless.
Buy On:
Easons €11.19
Book Depository €7.60
Waterstones £7.99
Wordery $8.99
Q. Do you prefer reading on paper, Kindle or listening to an audiobook?
I prefer reading on paper but I think audio books are wonderful. I've never read a book on a Kindle but there's no reason why I wouldn't enjoy it.
Q. Do you have a favourite bookshop (and why that shop)?
I have many but I will choose Stoke Newington Bookshop (where I used to work many years ago). It is such a lovely place to spend time browsing. It is run by staff who really care about books and the window displays are always beautiful.
Many thanks to Miranda for recommending some fantastic books! Please don't forget to check out Miranda's book The Year I Stopped to Notice.
Daryl
Image Copyrights: Icon Books (The Year I Stopped To Notice), Ebury Publishing (The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying), Little, Brown Book Group (Nobody Told Me), Scholastic US (Clifford the Big Red Dog).
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