Hello my darlings! I’ve been pretty busy this week between Mr. DitL’s birthday yesterday and family arriving for Thanksgiving today, but I still wanted to stop by and say hello.

Thanksgiving may be a holiday based on subversive colonialist mythology, but it’s also a time of year that brings many of my favorite family traditions. I’m going to take a couple days off to eat pie, hang out with my cousins, and get some great stuff ready for you for December.

I hope you all have a great week, whether you’re celebrating Thanksgiving or not!

xoxo,
Becky

PS: Here’s my best Thanksgiving post ever, in case you want to revisit. I can’t top the vintage turkey ring, so why try?

What I’m reading:

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I’ve read this book once before and it’s just as good as I remembered! I love when that happens.

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir. This is the sequel to Ember in  the Ashes. I’m only partway through, but I’m enjoying it so far. This series has some great female characters.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (audiobook). Mr. DitL and I have been revisiting one of our favorite audiobooks. We started listening to this again recently on a night when neither of us could sleep.

Internets:

Just in case you needed a reason to love Carrie Fisher even more: Carrie Fisher’s final gift to the Star Wars franchise was space jewelry.

How Alexander Hamilton’s House Got Moved. Weird and totally fascinating.

14 Times Carolina Herrera Proved That A White Blouse and Jewels Are The Chicest Combination.

Illinois high school introduces inclusive dress code.

The fascinating in-depth analysis of a single mourning ring from 1727.

In an Era of Strife, Museums Collect History as It Happens. This is a really interesting perspective on living in such eventful times.

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Good morning, my darlings,

I think the chill in the air means that it’s officially hot chocolate season, at least where I live! I don’t know about you, but the early sunset and lower temperatures make me want to do nothing but curl up in a nest of fuzzy blankets and read all day.

I’m not talking about a theoretical nest, either: there’s a reason all of my throw pillows have velvet pillowcases. From November to February, all I want is soft fabrics and warm drinks.

How do you react to the change in seasons this time of year? Do I have fellow hibernators out there, or are you all energetic in the winter?

xoxo,
Becky

What I’m reading:

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. I love love love love love this book. It’s one of my favorites from recent years. It came out in 2014 and I’ve read it 4 or 5 times already.

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman. This is the companion novel to Seraphina. I’ve put off reading it for ages because I loved Seraphina so much that I was worried Shadow Scale would be disappointing….and it was. Sigh. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a pretty good book, as books go – but Seraphina was vivid magic and Shadow Scale is not. I know I’ll keep rereding Seraphina but I can’t imagine having a particularly strong desire to revisit Shadow Scale.

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman.  This is the NEW companion novel to Serpahina, and it is once again vivid magic. This book follows an extremely minor character from the first novel – one of Seraphina’s stepsisters – as she lives her own adventure. It’s a creative world with fascinating characters and an engaging plot. My one complaint is that the characters from Seraphina feel a bit different in Tess of the Road, but I suppose that’s because it’s written from Tess’s perspective rather than Seraphina’s.*

* Please note that Tess of the Road will not be published until February, so you can’t read it yet. If you like good YA fantasy, pick up Seraphina now and put Tess on your wishlist. You might want Shadow Scale for context…but you don’t need to own it.

Internets:

Jewelry photography blog Jewelry Shoot made a list of his favorite jewelry bloggers and included Diamonds in the Library. Thank you, Jewelry Shoot!

The world’s primary source for red, pink, and blue diamonds is nearly all tapped out.

The wedding ring that Alexander Hamilton gave to Elizabeth Schuyler.

Conch pearls: what are they and why are they so rare?

Archeologists Discover 2,600-Year-Old Request for More Wine from Extremely Relatable Ancient.

What you need to know about the Harry Potter illustrated editions.

Common Venmo charges, decoded. This is surprisingly heartwarming. It’s really a short story told through Venmo.


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What I’m reading:

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory. I don’t often like contemporary romance novels, but I think I’ve just been reading the wrong ones. This book rocks.

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. I just read one short story from this compilation after a friend sent me this article. The one story is incredible: haunting and eerie and deeply true. It made me want to read the whole rest of the book.

Internets:

There’s some good advice in here: How to Deal With Sexual Harassment WHILE It’s Happening.

Tiny, cameo-style portraits of monsters. This is as amazing as it sounds.

Audrey Hepburn’s tiara has been sold at Christie’s.

Pomelllato’s 50 year anniversary collection spotlights hard stones, and I’m all about it.

Look At Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren Killing It At Paris Fashion Week.

Jewelry worn by ‘the real Lady Chatterley’ comes to auction.

Thanks to JCK Magazine for spotlighting me in their roundup of favorite Instagrams from VicenzaOro 2017!

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