Hello darlings,

Happy new year!! Is it still okay to say that on January 16th? I’m going to say yes, because the year still feels all fresh and new.

January can be a rough month for me: the sky is dark, the weather is cold, and I’m still worn out from holidaying through the end of 2023. But we just had the fireplace in our new house repaired, so I’ve been spending a lot of time curled up in a fuzzy blanket in front of a warm fire, reading great books. It’s lovely.

The sun will return eventually and then there will be fun things to do, but for now I’m leaning into the hibernation vibes and taking lots of time to rest and recharge.

How is 2024 treating you so far?

xoxo,
Becky

What I’m reading

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.

I read this entire book yesterday from start to finish. Not only is it exactly my type of book – fantasy romance with dragons and a strong woman protagonist – the author has the same rare genetic connective tissue disorder as me (hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) and so does Forth Wing’s main character.

The world definitely feels like a modern reimagining of iconic fantasy classic The Dragonriders of Pern but with fewer sexual consent issues and less domestic violence (no shaking of women). There’s adventure, intrigue, and awesome dragons who each bond to a rider and have the ability to communicate with that rider mind-to-mind.

I was honestly shaken by how much it meant to me to read a book about a character whose body works the same way mine does. Apparently that’s something that I was craving so deeply that I wasn’t even consciously aware of it. I’m definitely looking forward to book two.

Fair warning: this book sounds like YA, but the sex scenes are a little more on-page action than I associate with YA. There are only a couple of them, but the spice level puts on the same shelf as ACOTAR rather than The Hunger Games.

Want to see more fiction I’m loving? Click here.

Internets

Amateur Treasure Hunter Discovers Trove of Sixth-Century Gold Jewelry: Found in Denmark, most of the 22 objects are bracteates, or medallions inscribed with mystical symbols.

Anatomical Sculptures Made of Crystals Explore Themes of Love and Loss.

The Story Of The Dress From My Date With The President’s Daughter. Did anyone else LOVE this movie and know the exact dress?? Well, it has been DISCOVERED in a THRIFT STORE. The exact dress.

An Antique Dress Held a Secret: A Coded Message From 1888: For nearly a decade, sleuths had tried to decode a cryptic note discovered in the silk bustle dress. An analyst finally cracked the case.

Not Even the Rich Can Buy Fancy Watches. If you’re in the market for a $25,000 Rolex, you better know a guy. And you better have $50,000.

Nerding Out at New York’s Antiquarian Book Fair: The fair showcases thousands upon thousands of books, ephemera, and historic works on paper.

An Ode to the Patron Saint of French Art Nouveau.

Haunted Houses Have Nothing on Lighthouses. From drowning to murders to the mental toll of isolation, these stoic towers carry a full share of tragedy.

Booktails from the Potions Library, with Mixologist Lindsay Merbaum

Book images via UnSplash. This post contains affiliate links.

Hello my darlings,

My goodness, this has turned out to be a busy summer! If you follow my on Instagram, you already know that Mr. DitL and I just bought our first house (!!!!) so we have been running around trying to find furniture and fix drywall and refinish floors and buy a new bathtub and 10,000 other exciting, frustrating, fun, exhilarating, overwhelming things.

It is very exciting and we’re so happy to have found our home, but it’s definitely taking up a lot of time and energy.

Do any of you have advice for us first-time homeowners? Please feel to share your wisdom with me in the comments.

And if you need your jewelry fix in between blog posts, you can always go see what I’m writing over at Instore Magazine or on my Instagram.

xoxo,
Becky

What I’m reading

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson.

I picked up this book expecting to find a cozy, escapist Urban Fantasy about an organization of witches that fight crime. Instead, I found a bitingly clever, incredibly relevant, unflinchingly honest commentary on some of the most important issues affecting our world today, especially gender identity, racism, and the nature of inclusive feminism.

In the HMRC world, people with magic are either witches or warlocks, depending on their gender. All witches must join the national HMRC coven and follow the guidelines set down by the massive, powerful, well-established organization. But where do the witches and warlocks who don’t fit into these neat categories really belong? These questions are raised in a group of friends who have been there for each other since they were children, but how far can their friendships bend to accommodate disagreements on such pivotal issues – especially when a deadly prophecy and the life of a child hang in the balance?

This book is exceptionally well done but it was much more intense than I was expecting. The author makes some really insightful points and takes all the correct stances (the book is vehemently against transphobia, TERFs, and white supremacy) but it does include depictions of closed-minded, overtly transphobic, and subtly racist characters.

It’s very, very good, but I wish I had been in a different frame of mind when I picked it up. I was looking for a break from the things that are upsetting me in actual reality, but instead I found a searing and insightful commentary on them.

I plan to read more of the series, but I need a break first.

Prodigium Academy by Katie May.

This series was my first foray into monster romance and wow they are wild. It’s set at an elite private school for children of famous monsters and the main character is Violet Dracula, the legendary vampire’s accident-prone blonde daughter. Some monsters have “Fated mates” who they are destined to love an are inexorably drawn towards…but could a monster have more than one fated mate?

I’ve never read a book with so much sex in my life. It’s constant, it’s inventive, it’s everywhere all the time. If that bothers you, you won’t like these books. That said…I found these books hilarious. They’re very silly, but the absurdity and the main character’s irreverent sense of humor work for me. It’s an unfinished series that currently ends on a cliffhanger, but I had fun reading it.

Again I must reiterate: SO MUCH SEX. Weird sex. Monster sex. I gasped out loud more than once, and I’m no stranger to romance novels. Be forewarned.

Internets

Josephine Baker Will Be the First Black Woman Buried in Paris’ Panthéon.

Solange Launches Free Library of Rare, Out-of-print Books by Black Authors. Readers can borrow one of 50 rare and out-of-print titles, mailed to them completely free of charge, from Saint Heron Library.

Meet the Woman Preserving 125 Years of Black History in Baltimore.

A Brief Exploration of Male Objectification Through The Ages. Fascinating!

Portrait of Marie Antoinette’s Dog Skyrockets at Auction: Jacques Barthélémy Delamarre’s 18th-century canine portrait, said to depict the French queen’s beloved “Pompon,” sold for a whopping $280K. You’re going to want to see this portrait.

Inside Look at the Tiffany Landmark: The flawless renovation of a New York gem.

Artist Builds Exquisite Miniature Buildings From a Single Sheet of Paper.

Book images via UnSplash. This post contains affiliate links.