illustrated art journal from author's decade spent not traveling, in small Village town on the Connecticut coast of the Long Island Sound; Mindfulness and staying home (by choice, after decades of world travel, and not for quarantine purposes) circa late 1990s-early 2000s.

lovely little vignette artwork (Swift is very skilled in various media: watercolor, ink/watercolor, ink, pencil, embroidery) paired with brief journal entries and collected tidbits/trivia from her time spent in practiced mindfulness. I liked the various lists and collections of things, and found this journal to be meditative and soothing as I dawdled over each thoughtfully composed, illustrated and hand-lettered page (before digital publishing software made this so easy). ( )

I read this book because of a recommendation on npr.org

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121243815

The book was physically larger than I was expected, and I knew that it was written like a journal or scrapbook with illustrated pictures, but I didn't expect it to look quite the way it did. The following link gives a sample of the pages:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121100586

Once I got over my different expectations and I started reading it, I found it to be very enjoyable to read. The author gives her observations about her home and village and her memories of her previous travels and adds in lovely illustrations, quotes, facts, trivia, and other items. The book is organized by months, and I would read a little at time. I felt that I was taking a vacation in her village in Long Island Sound, but also felt like I was getting a bit of a taste of other areas she had visited. I also felt like it inspired me to be more observant and appreciative of my surroundings, both when I travel and when I stay home, and to write things down.
( )

I read this book because of a recommendation on npr.org

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121243815

The book was physically larger than I was expected, and I knew that it was written like a journal or scrapbook with illustrated pictures, but I didn't expect it to look quite the way it did. The following link gives a sample of the pages:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121100586

Once I got over my different expectations and I started reading it, I found it to be very enjoyable to read. The author gives her observations about her home and village and her memories of her previous travels and adds in lovely illustrations, quotes, facts, trivia, and other items. The book is organized by months, and I would read a little at time. I felt that I was taking a vacation in her village in Long Island Sound, but also felt like I was getting a bit of a taste of other areas she had visited. I also felt like it inspired me to be more observant and appreciative of my surroundings, both when I travel and when I stay home, and to write things down.
( )

I LOVED this book. A combination diary, journal, artist's notebook, scrapbook, illustrated with charming watercolors. ( )

Vivian Swift began to travel when she was still a teenager. She moved twenty-three times in twenty years. It was not until ten years ago that she decided to stop and settle down. It was then, she writes, that she really began to find the wonder in life.A fun book filled with little drawings and reflections. A graphic memoir, so to speak. ( )