Good morning, my darlings!

Mr. DitL and I have run away to Greece!! That’s right: we’re snatching a luxurious 10 days of vacay before I hop on over to Italy to see heart-wrenchingly gorgeous jewels at the VicenzaOro show.

I’ve always wanted to visit Greece and this is going to be my first time!! As a kid I was obsessed with this big yellow book Greek myths and I’ve wanted to see the Acropolis in person pretty much ever since I knew what it was. And now, assuming nothing went terribly wrong with our travel plans after I wrote this blog post, I’m there right now.

This is the last blog post you’ll get from me until I’m home again, but I will be Instagramming up a storm (especially on my Instagram story) so come find me over on the ‘gram if you want to keep up with my adventures as they’re happening. As always, I’ll also be putting together a nice juicy recap blog post for you after my return home.

xoxo,
Becky

What I’m reading:

D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths. Yep, this is the same book I linked to above!! I told Mr.DitL all about how much I loved this book as a child and he insisted that we track down a copy so that he could read it too. Because he’s the best.

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson. This book is spectacularly weird and SO well done. A wonderfully bizarre concept stunningly executed; urban fantasy YA with main characters of color and well executed size diversity, this book is a must read for anyone who loves good, unique stories. I’m actually not going to tell you anything else about the plot except that it’s a book about best friends, high school mean girls, and also zombies (but not your usual kind of zombies). Just go read it! Possibly for Halloween: it’s a great spooky season book.

Internets:

Report: Living in a Lighthouse Is As Cool As You Think It Is. Very glad to hear it!

Japanese Archaeologists Dig Up Jar Filled With Over 200,000 Bronze Coins.

The Sutherland Ruby, Diamond, and Pearl Necklace. A true royal beauty, profiled with plenty of photos on The Court Jeweller.

2018’s Craziest Treehouses in Treetops Around the World

Exquisitely Designed 2,000-Year-Old Roman Shoe Discovered in a Well.

Ancient Androids: Even Before Electricity, Robots Freaked People Out. Totally fascinating.

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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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