Book Review: Frozen in Time

Frozen in Time: Photographs

Every so often, there's a book that pulls so tightly at your heart strings that you literally feel connected to it, a part of the story. That's exactly what happened with me when I opened Frozen in Time. The photographic narrative of a turbulent mother-daughter relationship inside of a terribly dilapidated farmhouse in Maine. Eager to reconnect and reconcile with her dying mother after a long estrangement, photographer Sarah C. Butler moved into the house her mother had allowed to nearly crumble around her, photographing the emotionally moving experience, and ultimately sharing it with us in Frozen in Time.

It's all at once beautiful and heart-wrenching. Rarely do you ever see something so intimately personal and at the same time, oddly nostalgic in coffee table books. It's a stunning visual tour de force that has absolutely mesmerized me, and I think it will do the same for you. Take a look: 

An exquisite book of photographs, but it's so much more than that. This is a book about the complex nature of relationships with our family, particularly our mothers, moving away from home, finding home, and reconciliation. It's a book about acceptance, of those who have harmed us, and of the harm we do to ourselves. It's a book about love, and the beauty that can be found in true understanding. 

A definite MUST have! Take a look and buy your copy via the Amazon link below:

Book Review: Horse/Human: An Emotional Bond

Horse/Human: An Emotional Bond by Bob Tabor

Published by Glitterati Incorporated

As I'm sure most of you do as well, I enjoy having beautiful coffee table books, filled with stunning photography on the tables of my house. From the living room, to the bedroom, the dining room, and most assuredly the library, books of amazing photography, from interiors and gardens to life and clothing abound. When I entertain, people often pick up a book that draws their interest, and begin to thumb through, sharing oo's and ah's with the others sitting near them. That's exactly what has happened with Horse/Human: An Emotional Bond, an absolutely stunning book of photography by the brilliant Bob Tabor.

Each photo is emotionally resonant, powerful, and sophisticated - drawing interest from everyone, not only those interested in horses, but in photography, architecture, line and shadow, and beauty in general.

Celebrated photographer, Bob Tabor has spent his life taking photos of horses, spending hours in the natural environment of these majestic creatures to capture perfect photos, brilliantly focused, truly fine portraiture. These photos capture not only light and shadow, shape and form, but the unique characteristics and soul of these animals, each different but magnificent from page to page. And while you may be reading this thinking, "Artie, how can a photo capture the soul?" I can only respond to that question and continue this review by providing an interior view of the pages of this expertly executed book:

 Photo by: Bob Tabor, 2016 for Horse/Human: An Emotional Bond,

Published by Glitterati Incorporated

  Photo by: Bob Tabor, 2016 for Horse/Human: An Emotional Bond,

Published by Glitterati Incorporated

  Photo by: Bob Tabor, 2016 for Horse/Human: An Emotional Bond,

Published by Glitterati Incorporated

  Photo by: Bob Tabor, 2016 for Horse/Human: An Emotional Bond,

Published by Glitterati Incorporated

 Photo by: Bob Tabor, 2016 for Horse/Human: An Emotional Bond,

Published by Glitterati Incorporated

See! The adage, "A Picture is Worth ..." is absolutely not lost within the pages of Horse/Human: An Emotional Bond. As you marvel image by glorious image, there becomes this intimate and real connection with the equine model of each page. If you're not a horse lover already, I assure you, Horse/Human: An Emotional Bond will certainly change that! Awe and amusement, and a real appreciation for the art of photography are sure to be a commanding draw to this shining example of how mesmerizing art can truly be at your fingertips. Take a look, and grab your copy via the amazon link below:

Book Review: A 21st Century Palace: Jerusalem

A 21st Century Palace: Jerusalem Volume II by Geoffrey Bradfield

Published by G Editions an imprint of Glitterati Incorporated

 

South African designer, Geoffrey Bradfield, is world-renowned, and his illustrious clients include some of the most prominent aristocratic and royal families in the world. Bradfield's projects are vast, and include a major overhaul of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s Westbury, Long Island estate, restoration of the late King Hussein’s mansion in Maryland, and the design of Hollywood director Oliver Stone’s riverside New York apartment. He's been named in the AD100 by Architectural Digest, and has been featured in countless publications, including his sixth book, A 21st Century Palace: Jerusalem.

Very few places on earth have more history, mystery, and power than the ancient deified city of Jerusalem. Considered a holy city to Jews, Christians, and Islamics, Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world, and has been completely destroyed and rebuilt, twice. A city that has seen extreme wealth and extreme poverty, extreme life and unfathomable death is not one that we may typically think of having inspiring, modern, fresh interiors - but there are! A 21st Century Palace: Jerusalem tells the story of a 20,000 square-foot penthouse in the old Palace Hotel, which is now the new Waldorf Astoria, in Jerusalem.

Geoffrey, of course, is the brainchild behind the design of the palatial home, and he has created an interior that has the same juxtaposition as the city in where it lives. Let's take a look, shall we?

From A 21^st Century Palace: Jerusalem  by Geoffrey Bradfield copyright © 2015, published by G Editions, an imprint of Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

From A 21^st Century Palace: Jerusalem  by Geoffrey Bradfield copyright © 2015, published by G Editions, an imprint of Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

 

From A 21^st Century Palace: Jerusalem  by Geoffrey Bradfield copyright © 2015, published by G Editions, an imprint of Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

 

From A 21^st Century Palace: Jerusalem  by Geoffrey Bradfield copyright © 2015, published by G Editions, an imprint of Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

 

From A 21^st Century Palace: Jerusalem  by Geoffrey Bradfield copyright © 2015, published by G Editions, an imprint of Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

 

From A 21^st Century Palace: Jerusalem  by Geoffrey Bradfield copyright © 2015, published by G Editions, an imprint of Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

  

While the main penthouse is the primary focus of A 21st Century Palace: Jerusalem, there are additional "guest" apartments of the high-rise palace.

 

From A 21^st Century Palace: Jerusalem  by Geoffrey Bradfield copyright © 2015, published by G Editions, an imprint of Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

From A 21^st Century Palace: Jerusalem  by Geoffrey Bradfield copyright © 2015, published by G Editions, an imprint of Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

 

From A 21^st Century Palace: Jerusalem  by Geoffrey Bradfield copyright © 2015, published by G Editions, an imprint of Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

 

From A 21^st Century Palace: Jerusalem  by Geoffrey Bradfield copyright © 2015, published by G Editions, an imprint of Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

A stunning collection of rooms, a body of work that is all at once fresh and inspiring, and a premier level printing, with large, heavy pages that makes this coffee table book one that you really should have at the top of your must have list! Take a closer look, and grab your copy via the Amazon link below:

 

Book Review: Living Newport

Living Newport: Houses, People, Style by Bettie Bearden Pardee

Published by Glitterati Incorporated

 

I remember the first time that I visited Newport, Rhode Island like it was yesterday. It actually wasn't yesterday but more than 5-years ago. The impression that the fresh sea air, the gardens, the architecture, the romance, the sheer magnetism that the place seemed to have on the hundreds of other tourists is unforgettable, and the I'm sure that anyone visiting today or recollecting a memory would say the same: Newport, Rhode Island is the epitome of American elegance.

 

So when Glitterati Incorporated published Bettie Bearden Pardee's Living Newport: Houses, People, Style, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. Turning through the pages of the book was like turning back the clock and being back in Newport - except this time, I was invited past the hedge row, through the gates, and into houses that you can't see on the tours. I was the invitee of societal picnics and weddings of the social elite. I was the guest of beachside gardens where roses and boxwood knots come together to create magical resting spots to enjoy the East Coast sun.

 

Principal photographer, Mick Hales has photographed for nearly every shelter magazine in the world, and his photos of Newport Life are evocative yet familiar, welcoming and all together vivid - the perfect view into a world you seem almost instantly connected to. Certainly a coffee table book, with photos the primary focus, the 220+ pages capture gardens, interiors, social events, tablescapes and more. But Bettie Bearden Pardee also gives some wonderful narrative to the homeowners and the way they see Newport, living in these glorious homes. As a year-round resident of Newport, Bettie and her husband Jonathan, are active in the community, and their own home "Parterre" provides the perfect backdrop for some of Newport's most coveted events during the social season. Without further ado - why don't you sit back, and take a little visual stroll through Newport:

 

 Photo Credit: Alexander Nesbitt; Living Newport: Houses, People, Style

 

 Photo Credit: Alexander Nesbitt; Living Newport: Houses, People, Style

 

 Photo Credit: Alexander Nesbitt; Living Newport: Houses, People, Style

 

Photo Credit: Mick Hales; Living Newport: Houses, People, Style

 

 Photo Credit: Mick Hales; Living Newport: Houses, People, Style

Photo Credit: Mick Hales; Living Newport: Houses, People, Style

Photo Credit: Mick Hales; Living Newport: Houses, People, Style

Photo Credit: Alexander Nesbitt; Living Newport: Houses, People, Style

Photo Credit: Mick Hales; Living Newport: Houses, People, Style

  

There's more where that came from! Living Newport is a beautiful coffee table book, perfect for any collection! Filled with inspirational interiors, homes, and gardens, people, places, and everything Newport, you'll find yourself poring over the pages again and again and again. Take a closer look, and get your own copy via the Amazon link below: 

House Proud Unique Home Design - Louisiana: Valorie Hart

Happy New Year! 

Valorie Hart might be a familiar name to you ... especially if you've been reading blogs for the last few years. Her blog, The Visual Vamp, is as colorful as she is, filled with beautiful images of her own home, and the homes near and far that inspire her. Her aesthetic is bright, youthful but sophisticated, and layered, and her newest book, House Proud Unique Home Design/Louisiana, published by Glitterati Incorporated, is just the same: a stunning catalog of homes in her home state with unique and beautiful interiors filled with the look that Valorie has so beautifully curated.

Beyond the photos, it's also wonderfully written. In fact, in the last paragraph of her introduction, Valorie sets the stage for the pages beyond better than any other design book I've ever read. "As you hunker down in your favorite spot in your home with this book, my hope is that you will feel welcomed into one house after the other. I am certain the stories will resonate, that you might see yourself and your home in these pages, because after all, you, too, are house proud."

From House Proud: Unique Home Design/Louisiana by Valorie Hart, © 2013, published by Glitterati Incorporated

Page after page will welcome you, exactly as Valorie hoped, to home after lovely home with beautiful interiors, pieces, and vignettes that will have you immediately inspired! Like this amazing dining table made from weathered beadboard in the Mid-City New Orleans home of artist Miranda Lake ... how beautiful is this? 

From House Proud: Unique Home Design/Louisiana by Valorie Hart, © 2013, published by Glitterati Incorporated

The houses in House Proud vary in style and size - from small shotgun bungalows to large Victorian mansions. In New Orleans' famed French Quarter, the home of Dr. Lisa Donofrio and Brian Valzania, includes a gorgeous plum velvet daybed from Lisa's days at Tulane University. The house, historic but not huge, is filled with light and French antiques, and is as inspiring as the couples love story. 

From House Proud: Unique Home Design/Louisiana by Valorie Hart, © 2013, published by Glitterati Incorporated

Along with being large and small, young and old, eclectic and electric, there are home owners and renters. The dining room above, clad in white, belongs to Uptown New Orleans artists Ashley Longshore and Michael Smith. When they found the rental just blocks from their art studio, they knew it was perfect - and set in about making it a perfect, sophisticated backdrop to the art they create. 

From House Proud: Unique Home Design/Louisiana by Valorie Hart, © 2013, published by Glitterati Incorporated

And the blogger, author, designer, dancer, trend-setter (I'm sure there are things I'm missing) Valorie Hart. All in all, I've read the book cover to cover, and have used it for reference multiple times, soaking up the imagery and enjoying the stories of the home owners. 

You see, Valorie did accomplish exactly what she hoped in this book; each time you turn a page you feel like you've been invited into the home by the homeowner, inspired by their story and collections, and given some key insights into how to do that in your home. It's a book you'll never stop reading, and one you'll be more than happy to add to your library. I highly recommend it ... and her blog, The Visual Vamp.

 Well done, Valorie. Happily waiting for your next book! 

From House Proud: Unique Home Design/Louisiana by Valorie Hart, © 2013 

published by Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

Photos by Sara Essex Bradley

Foreword by Debra Shriver

Happy Reading!