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    Blog Posts by Books for Better Living

    • 4 Ways to Make a Small Space Look Bigger

      By Books for Better Living | At Home – Thu, Sep 20, 2012 10:19 AM EDT

      4 Ways to Make a Small Space Look Bigger with Books for Better Living

      By: Jillian Sanders via Books for Better Living

      As a New Yorker, I'm fascinated by the ways people design smaller living spaces, so it makes sense that I'm a big fan of the interior design website Apartment Therapy, which offers daily ideas on how to maximize small living areas. So imagine my delight in reading Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces, by the website's cofounder Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan. I was immediately drawn to this gorgeous look book.

      According to Gillingham-Ryan, size constraints can actually unlock design creativity and allow you to focus on what's essential. In the book, Maxwell shares 40 small, cool spaces that will help change your approach to decorating by teaching you how to look at a space differently. Most of the "therapy" in the book involves minor tweaks that can be accomplished on a limited budget. Beautiful photography and an extensive resource guide of Gillingham-Ryan's favorite websites and stores will help turn even the tiniest

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    • My Ten Dollar Dinner Party

      By Books for Better Living | Shine Food – Wed, Sep 19, 2012 5:46 PM EDT

      Sole Napoleon with Tomato-Caper Crudo

      By: Camille Collett via Books for Better Living

      Healthy, inexpensive, delicious: my recipe trifecta. It has been my quest over the years to find recipes that I can use for entertaining that fit these criteria. Most of what I've found capture two of the three, but all three have been outside of my grasp. I had heard about Melissa d'Arabian's Ten Dollar Dinners show on the Food Network, but it wasn't until I found her cookbook by the same name that my interest was piqued.

      I invited my four victims…ehem…guests: Alvin, Carlos, Vicki and Jamie. These are the friends that love me no matter what I do, but will also not be shy about giving their honest opinions. I chose a menu of White Bean Tapenade Crostini followed by the Parisian Cafe Salad with Classic Dijon Vinaigrette and the Sole Napoleon with Tomato-Caper Crudo as the main course.


      More from Books for Better Living: Elizabeth Falkner's Roasted and Raw Carrot Salad

      How did it go? D'Arbian focuses on getting the best value

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    • 3 Buddhist Lessons for Keeping Calm Amid Chaos

      By Books for Better Living | Healthy Living – Tue, Sep 11, 2012 12:55 PM EDT

      Books for Better Living/ Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and ChangeBy Jillian Sanders via Books for Better Living

      "Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark." -Agnes de Mille

      I was moved by this quote in the Overview of Pema Chodron's Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change. I'm always on the lookout for new and engaging perspectives on how to quiet the mind and embrace the unknown, and Buddhist nun Chodron has emerged as one of the ultimate Buddhist writers for a modern western audience, helping calm anxiety and apprehension.

      Life constantly presents new challenges, and many of us wonder how it's possible to live peacefully when our foundation is consistently getting rocked and we're left standing on shaky ground. In her book, Chodron provides a clear understanding on how to break through using the lessons of Buddhism, explaining that it's possible to live

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