TheBookJeanie

EXPLORE THE BEAUTY AND INTRIGUE OF THE ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM WITH THEBOOKJEANIE During the Renaissance, wealthy Venetians built magnificent stone palazzos with elegant balconies along the Grand Canal. In 1903, a unique museum opened in a quiet neighborhood off the Back Bay Fens in Boston, created by heiress Isabella Stewart Gardner in the style of the Venetian palazzos with an important difference: Gardner's palazzo was designed inside out, the exterior imposing but austere, the inside courtyard a dreamy magical space of soaring balconies, intricate stonework, and lush tropical gardens under a glass roof. Gardner spent many years passionately collecting treasured art works throughout Europe and Asia, assembling a world-class collection of over 2500 paintings, sculpture, and unique decorative items. On March 18, 1990, two thieves masquerading as Boston policemen responding to a call from the museum, entered the gallery, tied up the guards, and walked out with mast...

Behold a summer lotus with  THEBOOKJEANIE  My good friend in Rhode Island recently sent me this photo, taken when she spotted a small pond covered in lotus blossoms. For centuries the lotus has been a subject beloved by poets: "In the scriptural language and sacred poetry of Hinduism and Buddhism, the lotus perfectly embodies the soul, rising up through the murkiness of worldly experience until it reaches the surface of the spiritual realm and blooms, vibrant and pure, free from all taint and attachment." from Poetry Chaikhana.                                      Book Reviews Sahar Delijani was born in Tehran's infamous Evin Prison, her mother a political prisoner in post-revolutionary Iran. After a few short months, Sahar was taken from her mother and delivered to her grandparents with whom she would stay until her parents were released ...