Most Popular Books by Kathryn Brown

Advance Praise for Kat Tales "If you enjoy hearing about animals getting the best of Katy Brown as much as I do, then you''ll LOVE this book!" -Brad McElhinny, Managing Editor The Charleston Daily Mail ... Life is anything but tame. It''s true that essayist Kathryn Brown knows how to tell a story. What''s especially interesting is that Katy''s success as an independent published author began with her amusing Facebook posts, considered a daily comic strip by her readers. In her first book of non-fiction, Kat Tales, a memoir of life with animals, you''ll discover for yourself how Katy''s creativity runs wild! Each adventure is laugh-out- loud funny, from a dangerous raccoon that she couldn''t get rid of, to a pair of intruders that she couldn''t wait to catch. Katy describes through vivid detail how even the smallest pet can turn into the biggest worry. Katy''s humorous criticism of her own life is highlighted by dueling dialogues and awkward attempts to explain her way out of wacky situations. Kat Tales may be a collection of short stories, but it''s every bit of a reality show in print! If you loved Lucy, then you''ll adore Katy.

The first monograph to examine the depiction of reading women in French art of the early Third Republic, Women Readers in French Painting 1870-1890 evaluates the pictorial significance of this imagery, its critical reception, and its impact on notions of femininity and social relations. Covering a broad range of paintings, prints, and sculptures, this book shows how the liseuse was subjected to unprecedented levels of pictorial innovation by artists with widely differing aesthetic aims and styles. Depictions of readers are interpreted as contributions to changing notions of public and private life, female agency, and women''s participation in cultural and political debates beyond the domestic household. This highly original book explores images of women readers from a range of social classes in both urban and rural settings. Such images are shown to have articulated concerns about the impact of female literacy on labour environments and family life while, in many cases, challenging conventions of gendered reading. Kathryn Brown also presents an alternative way of conceiving of modernity in relation to nineteenth-century art, a methodological departure from much recent art historical literature. Artists discussed range from Manet, Cassatt and Degas, to less familiar figures such as Lavieille, Carri?, Toulmouche and Tissot.

Throughout his career, Henri Matisse used imagery as a means of engaging critically with poetry and prose by a diverse range of authors. Kathryn Brown offers a groundbreaking account of Matisse''s position in the literary cross-currents of 20th-century France and explores ways in which reading influenced the artist''s work in a range of media. This study argues that the livre d''artiste became the privileged means by which Matisse enfolded literature into his own idiom and demonstrated the centrality of his aesthetic to modernist debates about authorship and creativity. By tracing the compositional and interpretive choices that Matisse made as a painter, print maker, and reader in the field of book production, this study offers a new theoretical account of visual art''s capacity to function as a form of literary criticism and extends debates about the gendering of 20th-century bibliophilia. Brown also demonstrates the importance of Matisse''s self-placement in relation to the French literary canon in the charged political climate of the Second World War and its aftermath. Through a combination of archival resources, art history, and literary criticism, this study offers a new interpretation of Matisse''s artist''s books and will be of interest to art historians, literary scholars, and researchers in book history and modernism.

Dialogues with Degas demonstrates the ongoing relevance of Edgar Degas to 20th- and 21st-century ideas and art practices. The first in-depth examination of this major artist''s impact on contemporary art, this book explores how contemporary practitioners have used Degas''s creativity as a springboard to engage imaginatively and critically with themes of colonialism, gender, race and class. Individual chapters are devoted to dialogues between Degas''s art and works produced by Frank Auerbach, Cecily Brown, Xinyi Cheng, Ryan Gander, Maggi Hambling, Damien Hirst, Howard Hodgkin, Chantal Joffe, Leon Kossoff, R.B. Kitaj, Juan Muñoz, Paula Rego, Jenny Saville, Yinka Shonibare, Cy Twombly and Rebecca Warren. Through close analyses of selected paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures, Kathryn Brown explores how Degas''s technical and compositional experiments have been extended or challenged in innovative ways. By experimenting with the materials and methods of existing works, contemporary artists generate visual palimpsests that make new demands of the viewer and prompt a reconsideration of ideas that have informed histories of 19th-century French art. The book overturns familiar conceptions of influence by eschewing a genealogical approach and prioritizing, instead, the analysis of non-linear encounters between artworks. This encourages a new conception of the agency of visual artefacts and of the conversations they are capable of entertaining with each other. While this study sheds new light on Degas''s art and that of his interlocutors, it also has methodological significance for the writing of art history.

War & secrets threaten a passionate cross-cultural love affair. Multi-award-winning novel by a humanitarian journalist. Set in NYC & Beirut in 1981.

" Introduce the wonder of backyard chicken''s to your little ones! It all starts when "daddy bought a hammer . . ." Told from the child''s perspective, The Chicken Coop is an adorable tale about a family that builds a chicken coop for their backyard flock. As time passes and the chickens grow, exciting discoveries are made! But when the family finds an mischievous unexpected visitor, they set out to remove their unwanted guest. When their first plan fails, the family must try a new approach to protecting their flock. This child-friendly tale explores the challenges of scavengers in a farm environment, encourages curiosity, introduces problem solving skills, and presents the reality of food sourcing in an age appropriate manner. Written with young children in mind, this story reads with a memorable flow to facilitate reading along for young learners. Based on a true story from the author''s life on a farm and beautifully illustrated, this book is sure to become a favorite for readers of all ages children and parents alike! This book is the perfect gift for children who love animals or as a fun addition to the library of families considering introducing chickens to their own backyard! Fall in love with The Chicken Coop today!"

"I turned the corner. The aisle stretched before me as the music escalated. My white slippers brushed over the red roses. My heart thumped. I had waited so long for this moment. Had I really made it this far? Hundreds of eyes twinkled their approval. But did they really think I was crazy? I could almost hear the question I had been asked before, ''Do you think it will be worth the wait?'' Here I was at this pinnacle moment. My first kiss." These are the lessons of a young woman''s life. It may seem an unusual narrative as she saved her heart for love and grew up knowing that being "different" was a gift. From her childhood years in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to the stark poverty and tremendous courage and faith of the Ethiopians, this is a riveting and inspiring story of God''s sovereignty and faithfulness.

A lonely old lady names inanimate objects, but only things that will outlive her.

With the help of her grandfather''s watch, Muledred the mule finally gets to school on time.

Henri Matisse’s experiments with form and color revolutionized the twentieth-century art world. In this concise critical biography, Kathryn Brown explores Matisse’s long career, beginning with his struggles as a student in Paris and culminating in his celebrated use of paper cutouts and stained glass in the last decade of his life. The book challenges various myths about Matisse and offers a fresh perspective on his creativity and legacy. Chapters explore the artist’s enthusiasm for fashion and cinema, his travels, personal ties, interest in African art, love of literature, and willingness to challenge audience expectations. Through close readings of Matisse’s works, Brown offers new insight into the artist’s friendships and battles with dealers, critics, collectors, and fellow artists.