July reads

A pretty light reading month, considering that one of these two books took about 2 days to get through, and the other was mostly pictures. We were traveling for 2 of the 4 weeks in July and I decided to keep it light and not pack a single deadtree book. Instead I downloaded about 6 titles on my ipad and convinced myself that I was Doing The Right Thing (limiting luggage, weight, &c.). The result? I didn't read a single word during the whole trip, other than the few chapters of a book that I picked up at the Musee D'Orsay book shop (still reading it, it's brilliant, more on that in next month's post). Verdict? I am no longer a reader of e-books. A few years ago, that was all I read, but for some reason, that desire/inclination has left me entirely. Print books are my bag, I suppose.The Sketchnote Handbook: The Illustrated Guide to Visual Note Taking, Mike RohdeIf you doodle incessantly when you take notes, you might already be a sketchnoter. I had no idea my visual note-taking style (all boxes, callouts, doodles, and arrows) had a name until I laid eyes on this book. It was sort of interesting to read a bit of the psychology behind why I'm drawn to visual note-taking, and this book even provided some ideas for how to get better at it. It's good.Drawn In: A Peek into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists, Julia Rothman and Vanessa DavisAs someone who has kept a sketchbook, on and off, for many years, I've always been drawn to other people's sketchbooks -- what do they use them for? How do they interact with the pages? Do they have the same anxiety I do about that first, blank page? Do they ever tear pages out? This lovely volume asks these sorts of questions of 44 artists and reproduces images from their sketchbooks. It's a gorgeous book, and pawing through the pages, reading all about how these artists feel about their sketchbooks is a delightful treat. This is one I'll keep returning to and enjoying for ages.