I’m all in for reinventing my menus straight out of Gwyneth Paltrow’s inspiring cookbook, It’s All Good. The recipes look delish,  super easy and superbly healthful. In fact, I’m thinking about making Gwyneth’s Grilled Eggplant Chili with Ginger and Cilantro tonight. Yum. (It’s on page 166.) In the spirit of “you are what you eat” and following Gwyneth’s menu, wonder if I’ll wake up Saturday morning blonde, 5’10″ and sitting across the breakfast table from Chris Martin. Something to consider…!

images via.

Opposites attract. Imagine mixing the san-souci casual lifestyle of a gypsy with the sophisticated elan of a jetsetter. Presto. It’s the gypset, so beautifully shared in a wonderful new 2012 coffee table book from Assouline. Remember, boho starts at home. Be inspired this weekend.

purchase via assouline.

This time it gets personal. Check out Lisa’s Bald Head Island Beach Retreat. A fabulously eclectic beach bungalow that never gets too be achy.  ”Thanks” Michelle and Patrick for the cover.  Flip to page 198 of Lonny for the full scoop and visit our archives for a peak behind the scenes of the shoot.

Before Sex and the City and Girls, we had Breakfast at Tiffany’s and our favorite free spirit Holly Golightly. Sam Wasson’s book goes behind the scenes at the filming of Capote’s wonderful novella.  Get the skinny on the little black dress (and more). LSI gives it a bejeweled thumb’s up as a beach read.

Why not play Russian roulette this weekend with Amuse-Bouches’ amazing cocktail table book on cocktails. Be sure the bar is well stocked. Flip to any page. Shake or stir the libation you land on! Cheers to Daniel Boulud (and you).

We’re delighted to share our latest, greatest, page-turner find with you. Just off the press, we love Habana Libre for words, pictures, insight and intrigue on Cuba. While it’s just 90 miles from the partying tip of Key West – a virtual South Florida suburb – we lack an intimate knowledge and understanding of the country. Enter photographer extraordinaire Michael Dweck and our dear friend, wordsmith and creative guru Bill Westbrook to break barriers and build insight. Habana Libre is not a political expose; rather it’s a startling creative reveal, the story of the emergent “creative class” in Cuba. Beautiful people…glittering art scene…here’s what we mean…

photos via Michael Dweck

WANT MORE? Buy the book, of course, and look for LSI’s interview with friend Bill Westbrook in our new blog feature called Luxe Loves. You’ll see why we’re mad about Bill.

 We are trying to find the humor in all things, maybe it’s a concept we should re-commit to for 2012 (perhaps we could start by not referring to lightheartedness as a concept- jokes on us…)? At any rate, we want to take ourselves a little less seriously, and this book appears to be just the ticket.

We know that gay men DO get fat, as Simon apparently concedes in the book (they’re called bears, he says). The wisdom we expect from Doonan, as in Wacky Chicks, an earlier read that we ripped through in no time, is to stop worrying and just be your amazing self. A review on Style.com has Simon explaining the impetus behind the book: ““To liberate everybody, women especially, and show them how to live life with the stylish bravado of us homos. Being a girl has never been more complicated—women are expected to look like Gisele, work like Bill Gates, and have a million kids like the old woman in the shoe,” says Doonan. So, what’s his secret to life? Never feel bad, about eating macaroons or anything else. “

We’ll drink (and eat a macaroon) to that! Happy Weekend!

 We love the way Sibella Court puts a story together. Her new book is just what it says it is- a stylist’s guide to NYC.

We’re curious to see what out of the way places she’s found, as well as her view of the old stand-bys.

images via the striped tee & this is luster

When we want glamour, elegance, personality, point of view & lived in luxury, (not to mention some of the most beautiful interiors of our time), we pull this one out of the stacks. Not new, but we want to make sure you all have it- Vogue Living: Houses Gardens People. It inspires every time- a true “must have”.

Currently re-reading:

Thomas O’Brien’s American Modern, and…

…The Home Within Us by Bobby McAlpine. Two must have classics that we recently pulled back out of the stacks for inspiration.