Oh my goodness, my darlings, how is it mid-August?? Where has the summer gone?

I guess it went to Vegas and to weddings of people I adore and mini trips to the beach and long walks to count the baby bunnies in my neighborhood. Those are all rather wonderful things, and if that’s where the summer went, it was well spent. And it’s not quiiiiiiiiite over, anyway.

I have assigned myself a late summer projects: reading the books I own! Because I do most of my reading on my Kindle these days, I have a shelf of actual paper books – mostly received as gifts – that have gone unread. I have decided that this will no longer stand. I’m working my way through my physical book collection until no unread books remain!

I am three days into this goal and I’ve read a book and a half. They were both gifts from my mom and both fantastic, which makes it all the more fun! Stand by more more.

Does anyone else have late summer projects? What do you hope to accomplish before the leaves fall?

xoxo,
Becky

What I’m reading:

The City of Brass by S. A Chakraborty. This is the best new YA fantasy I’ve read in at least a year, if not longer. Strong female main character, powerful worldbuilding, fascinating concept…I can’t believe this was on my shelf for so many months before I read it. I devoured it in one day, almost in one sitting. If you like fantasy at all, or if you love good stories of any kind, read this immediately.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. This is the book I’m reading now. It’s the kind of book you savor over multiple days, taking small sips and letting them wash over you instead of inhaling it whole (like I did with City of Brass). It’s quiet and beautiful and compelling, the story of three generations of women trying to solve a family mystery using clues left by the women who came before.

Internets:

You know you want to read a news story from 1908 about a woman who was able to buy a $50,000 pearl necklace for $20 because of a store error.

The 60 greatest capes in movie history.

You know you want 15 different recipes for wine slushies.

US Postal Service Ordered to Pay Artist $3.5M For Copyright Infringement. Because you shouldn’t use someone’s art without their permission!

What to read when you want to RECLAIM YOUR TIME.

Pasta Chef Handcrafts Rainbow-Colored Noodles Using All-Natural Ingredients. Why doesn’t all of my food look like this?

LEGO My Jell-O: The Dessert Now Has Building Block Molds. I hate Jell-O (it’s so wiggly!) but I love the idea of making it into Lego-style building blocks.

Hunting for Dragons in Antoni Gaudí’s Barcelona Masterpieces

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Good morning, my darlings!

First things first: congratulations to the two winners of my GiGi Ferranti Giveaway! A huge thank you to GiGi Ferranti for making this giveaway possible and to everyone who entered!!

Insider tip: if you didn’t win and you can’t get GiGi Ferranti’s jewelry out of your head, sign up for her mailing list and you’ll get a discount code!

What’s going on besides the giveaway? Oh yeah…my little sister is GETTING MARRIED THIS WEEKEND.

My sister and I are very close and I am going to take some time off so that I can properly attend to my Matron of Honor duties. Once the newlyweds are safely away on their honeymoon, Mr. DitL and I are sneaking off to the beach ourselves for a little summer vacay.

That means I’m going to take a little blog break. But if you need a fix, you can always come find me on IG (you may see some BTS wedding and beach pics) and I’ll be back soon!

I hope that you’re all having a fantastic summer and that you get yourself a little vacation too.

xoxo,
Becky

PS: Can you believe this is What I’m Reading Vol. 100?!? I still remember when I decided to start this series and it does not feel that long ago.

What I’m reading:

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede: My new favorite thing to do when I can’t sleep is re-listen to YA fantasy classics I loved when I was younger (and also love now). The familiar stories pull me out of my anxious brain but since I know what happens next, they don’t keep me awake. If you’ve never read this incredible series, I HIGHLY recommend it.

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley: I’ve been on a Susanna Kearsley kick lately! Her signature style is to tell two stories at once, past and present, linked in some way – sometimes by time travel, sometimes by historical artifacts, sometimes by ghosts…etc. I find her books very chill and relaxing, they’re unhurried in a way that’s perfect for summer.

I also recently devoured A Desperate Fortune and am working on The Firebird.  Kearsley’s books are romance but not Romance; they’re gently PG-13 way at their most salacious.

Internets:

How Titanic’s Iconic Necklace Almost Sank an Entire Company.

Nude Art Generated by Artificial Intelligence. This is very strange and equally fascinating.

The Renaissance Roots of Social Media.

How to build your own royal jewelry library, from The Court Jeweller.

Jane Austen’s Surprising Aunt Philadelphia.

A great post from Already Pretty on pairing necklines with necklaces.

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