The film Nostalgia playing in theaters now tells the story of its characters, both dead and alive, via their cherished objects.  Actress Ellen Burstyn said in this 7 minute NPR interview: 

Given how much I enjoyed this Fresh Air interview, I’m eager to read long haul truck driver Finn Murphy’s book The Long Haul.  He’s spent decades packing and hauling Americans' belongings, accumulating a wealth of wisdom on the topic of stuff.

Just because my sentimentality about objects has eroded over the years doesn’t mean there’s not a soft spot.  I just tend to reserve it for things with a heartbeat. Be it a filing system or a life, I live for a good transformation.

I was a great admirer of New York artist Kehinde Wiley’s mammoth portraits before he revealed his portrait of Barack Obama at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait gallery in February.  His subjects are often urban African-American men, though sometimes Brazilian or African, plucked from the street in model-scout style.

Michael Pollan’s home office, Berkeley, CA

I finally committed to reading Michael Pollan’s acclaimed book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma in January. It’s a disturbing, thorough, and downright fascinating exposé on the history and state of industrial food in the United States.

Without labels, miscellany will surely creep in, rendering the most elegant of containers clutter catch-alls. But, we don’t always want big tacky labels turning our spaces into kindergarten rooms. This is why I often cut little custom labels to place on the top edge of a drawer.