NOVEDADES

In this stunning but sinister visual universe, beasts and birds are not mere aesthetic objects but dynamic actors in allegorical struggles: a wild turkey crushes a small parrot in its claw; a troupe of monkeys wreaks havoc on a formal dinner table; an American buffalo is surrounded by bloodied white wolves. In dazzling watercolor, the images impress as much for their impeccable realism as they do for their complex narratives.

While touring readers through four of his own homes, Paredes shares the key elements in his creative process, giving us access to the same tools he uses in every home to decorate rooms that feel modern even as they glamorize the past, to show us how an environment has real power to transform our very state of mind. Paredes is renowned for being a master of extrapolating an entire theme from one unique item, say transforming the stripe of a crisp Oxford shirt into a unique upholstery perfect for the seaside, or finding inspiration for a couch’s decorative fringe in a well-worn piece of leather ranch gear. He is said to have “perfect visual pitch,” creating vignettes and rooms with an energy that feels undeniably masculine and sophisticated thanks to dark wood, iron railings, rustic fabrics, an overall patina, and soft furnishings in soothing earth tones.

Casi todo el mundo intuye que podría mejorar su comportamiento, tanto en el trabajo como en la vida privada, pero pocos saben cómo conseguirlo. Stephen R. Covey, el llamado Sócrates americano, ni da consejos paternalistas ni se dedica a sermonearnos. Su método es claro, certero y eficiente: siete etapas que el lector deberá asimilar y poner en práctica por su cuenta, adaptándolas a su personalidad y aplicándolas en todos los ámbitos de su vida.