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.

Hello, my darlings!

Look at me, posting several times in a month! It’s so nice to be getting back into the swing of things a bit. But remember that if you miss me between blog posts, you can always find me on Instagram or over at Instore Magazine.

Last week’s post was especially exciting because I had the great pleasure of covering the 2022 AGTA Spectrum Awards Editor’s Day event in Texas. If you’re keeping track at home: yes, this was my very first jewelry trip in four years, the first time I’ve traveled for business since my chronic illness became serious.

It was very different from how I used to travel – I needed wheelchair assistance at the airport, several spinal braces, a recovery infusion in my hotel room, and physical therapy prep before and recovery after – but I did it and I’m so happy I went! It was all possible thanks to the lovely Mr. DitL, my amazing husband, who came along to help out.

If things keep going well with PT and the pandemic doesn’t get any worse, I hope to attend more jewelry events in 2023. And stay tuned for Part 2 of my AGTA post coming soon!

I hope that you’ve had a chance to enjoy some beautiful fall weather before winter sets in. It’s already pretty cold here and now that daylight savings time has limited our daylight hours, all I want to do is curl up in a pile of blankets and read. Which is an activity I enjoy, so really things aren’t too bad.

Happy almost Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! I know that I’m looking forward to spending time with family this week and enjoying some top notch side dishes (turkey is fine, but I’m in it for the sides).

xoxo,
Becky

What I’m reading

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim. This YA fantasy is the first in a series that is described as “Project Runway meets Mulan.” It is beautifully written and creative, with a mythical feel that is one of my favorite flavors of book to read. I enjoyed it, but I must say that there were one or two moments that reminded me so much of either Project Runway or Mulan that it took me out of the story a little bit. However, those scenes were relatively early on and not significant parts of the overall plot. I wish the references had been toned down just a little, but I would still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA Fantasy and I look forward to reading the sequels.

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade. This is the latest book in a series that’s absolutely one of my favorite Contemporary Romance releases from the past few years. Like all books in this series, the main characters are actors on a popular fictional tv show based on ancient Greek mythology. The two are drawn to each other from the beginning, but they try to keep things professional since they’re filming on an isolated island together for years. Heehee. #onlyoneisland

All of the books in this series are strongly body positive, with at least one fat main character in each love story. And I don’t mean that one of them has “a cute little belly” or sheepishly admits that they “could lose a few pounds” but finds a partner who will overlook their flaws, I mean that these are fat characters who accept themselves just living their lives, falling in love and having great sex with partners who adore them exactly the way that they are.

The books are amazing and important and if you appreciate love stories, or fanfiction, or body positivity you should read them immediately. Please note: when I say this is a Romance, I do mean the kind with sex in it.

Internets

When Your Mother Is a Ghost Hunter: On the hunt with TikTok star Brittany Broski and her mother Heather Long, lead investigator of the Texas Ghost Gals.

My Modern House: life in a mid-century masterpiece with Monica and Simon Siegel. This house is incredible.

How to Bury an Entire Museum.

Princess Diana’s Iconic Sapphire Engagement Ring Has a Somewhat Controversial History:
It’s very different from other royal rings (and not because of its design).

Discover Whitby Jet on the Art of Mourning.

How Witches Cast Their Spell on Art History: From Remedios Varo to Francisco de Goya, artists have long turned to witchcraft as subject matter.

When a Bible’s Not a Bible: There’s no evidence at all that a small, engraved, gold bead found in Yorkshire is intended to represent a Bible. This article focuses on the question of what this bead is meant to represent, but the artefact itself is incredible – a tiny 15th century bead shaped like an open book.

Back to the party: the Duchess of Devonshire’s Costume Ball 1897.

Book images via UnSplash. This post contains affiliate links.