“You ask what book is on my bedside table and I will admit that there are stacks. Great wobbly stacks of books. Books I’ve just read and those that are lined up like planes on a runway, patiently waiting their turn. Since the pandemic began I have found that I gravitate towards books that are escapist (civilized mysteries where preferably one victim gets whacked at the beginning and we spend the rest of the time figuring out who done it) or books that are beautiful. My threshold and desire for difficult reads has diminished. I’m hoping when covid is controlled my more omnivorous reading habits will re-establish.

“The book I just finished, ‘Life in the Studio,’ written and photographed by Frances Palmer, was a particular joy because one of my closest friends gave it to me as a gift just because she thought I would love it and she was right. It is a stunningly, sigh-inducingly beautiful coffee table book which is loosely about flowers, photography and pottery with some recipes and life philosophy thrown in. What I found particularly fascinating was reading about how Frances Palmer has so successfully navigated the intersections of art and commerce, creating a thriving business while maintaining artistic control as well her passion for her craft. I will confess that while I love Frances’ ceramics, flower arrangements and her photographs, sometimes just reading about her industriousness (acres of stunning gardens, homemade pasta and single-handedly running her business while creating massive numbers of gorgeous and inventive pots) made me want to curl up and take a nap.”— KERRY MICHAELS, Freeport

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Mainers, please email to tell us about the book on your bedside table right now. In a few sentences, describe the book and be sure to tell us what drew you to it. With the path of the pandemic again uncertain, we want to hear what you are reading in these unsettled times and why. Send your selection to pgrodinsky@pressherald.com, and we may use it as a future Bedside Table.

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