Reviews for Around Raquette Lake, New York (Images of America Series)

The average rating for Around Raquette Lake, New York (Images of America Series) based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-06-14 00:00:00 Heri Arshal Well I have this one since a while, but I just read it cover-to-cover for the first time. It's really more of a picture book. It happens to intersect two things I love: the countryside and Japan. In fact, it made me reflect some on my own motivations and goals in life. The book itself is obviously not very deep. The author is in love with the traditional crafts, natural materials and is quick to criticizes modernity without much nuance. She's preaching to the choir, so there's little need for a balanced view here. I've found many things worthy of criticism in the design, the text and the picture selection, but it's such an unpretentious book that I feel bad exposing them. At least one thing though: it's all about crafts, houses, interior design, etc. In other words: objects and occasionally, the people who make them. Few pictures of the nature on which this is all based. Somehow I thought this would include rural landscapes which are also a good source of day-dreaming for me. One small thing I love about Japanese culture - and I've found no place to say it so far - is that open door design/mentality. Here it's almost inconceivable to leave a door, or even a window open without a screen. Amy discusses this a bit and says it's living in harmony with nature, versus the Western idea of protecting ourselves against nature. Anyway, living off the fat of the land is a dream of mine (and many others throughout history), but to live the 'simple life' is ironically difficult nowadays. Doing that in Japan would my ultimate ideal, but it's also highly unrealistic. I love this picture book for what it is: a shared fantasy. I doubt this would appeal to anyone outside of that.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-06-16 00:00:00 Noud Hekkens THIS is the Japanese aesthetic that inspires me. I've been exploring lots of Japanese things this summer and looked through many books, websites, and Instagram accounts, but this collection of images feels like home. Absolutely gorgeous, and I especially love the focus on crafts and materials towards the end.