What I'm reading

I've read a few interesting books lately that I thought I'd share with you...

First of all, "The Art of the Restaurateur" (note the lack of 'n' in the word), by Nicholas Lander, the food critic at the Financial Times, and former restaurateur. I had the fortune of meeting the author yesterday at a book signing and general discussion at Kelly + Walsh in Pacific Place.  Lander's book acknowledges that we live in the age of the celebrity chef, but aims to extol the virtues of the restaurateur, a person who is also sometimes the chef, but is often the person behind the chef running the show, and often the visionary who thinks of the concepts for their establishment/s.  A fascinating read for anyone involved in the food industry, and particularly illuminating for interior designers involved in the hospitality industry...especially the chapter on Adam Tihany.

The biography of British artist Francis Bacon, "Studies for a portrait", by his long time friend and confidant, Michael Peppiatt, was thoroughly enjoyable.  It was quite an illuminating look at the life of an incredibly creative and artistic soul who managed to use all of the hardships experienced in his life for the betterment of his paintings. As a longtime fan of Bacon's work I have to say I was quite captivated by the stories of his wild nights of drinking and gambling (and gambolling), and couldn't help but think that he would fit quite well into Hong Kong's society today...

I blogged about Spanish interior designer Luis Bustamante earlier this year here, and was lamenting that his book was only to be found in Spanish and not available to those of us outside of Europe.  Well, I'm happy to say I found myself an English copy at Potterton Books at their stand at Maison + Objet. The books is just as stunning as I thought, and I'm sure it will be a reference that I will turn to for inspiration time and time again.

And finally, this isn't one I've read, but one I've been looking forward to after I managed a sneak preview of a pre-release copy....Kelly Wearstler's new book "Rhapsody".  I have to say I think I enjoy her more recent work than what she was creating when she first came to the limelight. And regardless of whether you liked her work then, or now, or never have at all, she desserves praise for being constantly interesting and forever changing. I can't wait to flick through these pages at a more leisurely pace.