What I’m Reading: Vol. 113.

Hello my darlings,  

There’s a subtle but delicious chill in the air that tells me it really is late September, even if it’s hard to have any real sense of the passage of time this year (has 2020 been going on for 15 minutes or 5,000 years?). I hope that you’re all holding up okay as the seasons change. 

You may have noticed that I’ve been posting a little bit more often and I’m so happy about it! After three years of trying to get a handle on my  mysterious chronic illness situation, I feel like I have finally settled into a pattern that leaves me with a little bit more space in my brain for fun things. I’m still sick – I may always be sick – but I’m very slowly getting a little better at managing at all and that means I have more mental bandwidth for blog posts, at least for now. 

On that note: I want to bring your attention to a new page! Jewelry Books now have there very own page right here, separate from my overall list of book reviews. It includes titles, mini summaries, and links to reviews. I have three more jewelry books sitting on my dining room table waiting to be reviewed (and more on my shelf) so standby for more of that soon. 

xoxo,
Becky

What I’m reading:

Fire by Kristen Cashore: Indiebound/Amazon

I’ve reread this book and this series several times and I’m still absolutely blown away by it. An intricate world with fascinating and fiercely feminist female main characters. A great rec for someone who’s craving YA fantasy but doesn’t want to revisit Harry Potter at the moment because they’re still too angry about the author’s hateful public transphobia. (Okay, that reader is me: I’m craving YA fantasy comfort but I’m too angry at JK Rowling to enjoy Harry Potter.) 

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton: Indiebound/Amazon

This book is great! It’s largely an allegory for our society’s unhealthy obsession with body image and beauty, but still tells a fascinating story in an interesting world. The world-building is gorgeously elaborate in a way that makes me picture the universe as looking like a Baz Luhrmann movie.  It’s an enthralling and beautiful story and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. 

Internets:

Who Were the Ladies of Llangollen? Top hat connoisseurs, friends of princesses and poets, tchotchke models, dog lovers, cottage keepers…lesbians?

The Clandestine Cultural Knowledge of Ancient Graffiti. Fascinating!

World’s Most Famous Medieval Illuminated Manuscript Now Viewable Online. Material Messages Between Earth and the Divine. This article is about votive objects and it’s fascinating.

We Finally Know What Happens to the Leftover Cake on the Great British Bake Off. VERY IMPORTANT NEWS.

Photographer Builds Tiny Village for Adorable Family of Mice Found Living in His Garden.

The Top-Secret Feminist History of Tea Rooms. Nearly all American tea rooms were owned by women. They often opened up rooms in their homes or set up tables in their gardens.

Artist Fills Forest with Life-Size Sculptures Made from Woven Rods of Willow.  

Book images via UnSplash. This post contains affiliate links.