Jasmine is a replant here in her native state, following stints in the northwest corners of three continents: Washington State; Brittany, France; and most recently Morocco. A visual artist who loves wandering and foraging, she leans toward what is quiet, wild and easily overlooked. Writers that summon wonder and bewilderment are her favorite. She is usually pedaling around on her bicycle, armed with too many tote bags.
~Jasmine
It’s rare that I read an entire book in one sitting, but I could not let go of Tuck and her little girl, Agnes, hanging on as they negotiated loss, survival and a precarious future. The narration is by turns murky (the fog of memory, of lives upended by addiction) and sharply evocative: you can taste the bitter rosehips, feel the pop of kelp, smell the woodsmoke and mildew in their Maine island retreat. (The descriptions of foraging rang a bell in my soul) – An unshakeable story of digging deep for sustenance, truths and, ultimately, renewal. ~Jasmine
I came for the stories of the New York poetry & art scenes– the glam bohemian Frank O’Hara and the painters in his milieu. But the candid, unforgettable portrait of Calhoun’s fraught relationship with her father, legendary art critic Peter Schjeldahl, kept me tethered to the page, alternately laughing and wiping away tears. ~Jasmine
A traveling salesman calls his daughter every night with a bedtime story, limited to the short time he has on each payphone call. The tales he spins, like a curly telephone cord, are loopy and out of this world, silly and gently satirical, poking fun at grown-ups and social norms. If you delight in absurdities and playful language, you will love this vibrantly illustrated, cleverly designed book (please peek under the dust jacket!) – it’s such a multi-layered pleasure! ~Jasmine
![[To] the Last [Be] Human By Jorie Graham, Robert MacFarlane (Introduction by) Cover Image](https://images.booksense.com/images/books/605/596/FC9781556596605.JPG)
Searing lyric prophecy, prayers for the planet, for future generations. Please read aloud. I like to imagine that the lines will work as incantations to protect our collective futures. They drill down into the harrowing present, with complexity, lucidity, and 360-degree awareness. Like a sacred text, this collection calls to our deepest humanity, singing into our dreams and fears. Graham gives me chills and makes me sit up straight. ~Jasmine
This little book contains so much: it is a poem, and a set of instructions, and a mindfulness practice. It is an open-ended field guide to reorienting ourselves, not just in relation to the sea, but to our own patterns of thought. Flip to any page, and float in a space of imagination. I find the spirit behind the lines seeping into my everyday life. A little wisdom book! ~Jasmine
This taut, subtle novel is all about what is concealed and revealed, controlled surfaces and troubled depths. Through the lens of a developing friendship between an artist and her tenant, a graduate student in art history, themes of nakedness and self-expression intertwine and then unravel. I was haunted by this story long after I read the final page. --Jasmine
I haven’t laughed this hard in a very long time. I’m talking about brain-tickling, deep-belly, heart-opening laughs. Swiv, our nine-year-old narrator, lets loose with unfiltered, swear-inflected observations (Swiv’s typical mode is exasperation)-- a voice I found 100% irresistible. A novel of three generations of tough women living under one roof, each fighting for independence and agency, the right to thrive on their own terms. A loving and absolutely urgent model of intergenerational care and survival. –JASMINE
