Carolyn A Pappas

First, I’d like to say “thank you” to everyone who has left me comments on my last post or has sent me concerned emails. I really appreciate it. I will have some more artwork to post soon.

I don’t normally review non-art books, but I decided to in this case because it is something I consider to be important.* Besides art, emergency preparedness is one of my personal interests. Perhaps it makes me feel like I can do something instead of worrying about what the future may hold, especially since the world is such an uncertain place these days. Now that I have a baby on the way, I am thinking a lot about being a good caretaker and provider for my family.

I really enjoyed reading The Prepper’s Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster by Bernie Carr, owner of the blog The Apartment Prepper.

It is aimed for the complete beginner and it is divided into eight sections: getting started, financial readiness, water needs, food supplies, ready your home, personal health and safety, when the power is out, and when you have to get out. Under each category there are several short topical articles that teach you how to do something or give you a list of important supplies to assemble.

Step by step instructions are given in a simple, non-scary way. I really appreciate this because a lot of books and resources you find on the internet are geared toward people who are only interested in really advanced survival skills. Besides being too expensive for the average individual, these sorts of things can really turn off the beginner and make them feel that it is pointless to even get started. The author also thought of important but simple things that many people wouldn’t necessarily consider when it comes to preparedness, such as how to purchase footwear and prep for your pets.

Another thing I like about this book is that it you don’t need to read it all at once. It is easy to look up what you are interested in and read just about that topic without losing continuity. Some of my favorite topics are avoiding common prepper mistakes, assembling a desk survival kit (for your cubicle at work), and how to assemble a 72-hour survival kit. The author tries to make each topic very accessible, often suggesting lower cost alternatives. Besides cutting costs, she also suggests low-space ways that people in apartments or other small spaces can prepare.

This book really provides a good starting point for anyone considering how to become more prepared for life. For more ideas, check out The Apartment Prepper Blog and this article (there is a quote from me in it).

*Full disclosure: I also received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my review.

Mary Cassatt, Woman Reading (Femme lissant)

A book I enjoyed reading recently is Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper by Harriet Scott Chessman. It is a fictional story about Mary Cassatt from the perspective of her older sister Lydia, who suffered from chronic kidney disease. I have always been a fan of Mary Cassatt, but haven’t read much about her personally. Reading this book makes me want to read a full-fledged biography of her.

It has five chapters, each focusing on a particular painting featuring Lydia as the model. As Lydia sits, the two sisters have conversations that reveal bits and pieces of their lives. Her daydreams also reveal background info on their family life in Europe as well as America. This book explores what it’s like to have an artist in the family, which is an eye opening subject for me. Another theme is living with chronic illness. Lydia struggles with the idea that she will die soon and her sister’s portraits of her will be her only legacy.

Even though it is fictional and covers only a brief few years of Mary Cassatt’s career, it is obvious from the author’s attention to detail that a lot of research went into this book. It thought it especially interesting to read how the author imagines what others may have thought of Mary’s relationship with Edgar Degas (although I wish his character were more developed). I also loved how subtle details in the paintings are woven into the story.

If you are interested in art history, but want to read something a little less dense and scholarly, I would definitely recommend this book. It is a concise and easy to read story, which is a big plus for me because I do most of my reading before bed.