Hello darlings,
I’m so relieved that it’s finally September. I’m not eager for cold weather, but it’s been an exceptionally hot summer in the DC area and it’s such a relief to step outside and feel cool breezes instead of a wall of soul-crushing humidity that makes me feel like I’m inside of a hot wet sponge.
This time of year always feels full of possibility to me – I don’t know if that’s a holdover from so many years of September first days of school as a child or because it’s suddenly bearable to be outside, but I find it invigorating.
Wishing you a beautiful beginning of Autumn!
xoxo,
Becky
What I’m reading
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik: Bookshop.org | Amazon
This is the first book in a new-to-me series and I am HOOKED. I’ve enjoyed Novik’s work in the past (especially Uprooted) but A Deadly Education had me hooked from the first sentence. (“I decided that Orion needed to die after the second time he saved my life.”)
A Deadly Education is set in a magical boarding school, but it’s no Hogwarts. The self-running magical school has no teachers and an extraordinarily high death rate. Students learn to master their powers and defends themselves from mals – evil creatures that are attracted to magic – or they die.
The main character, El, is an outsider with no powerful alliances to rely on in a world where who you know is everything. On top of that, her affinity for extraordinarily destructive magic makes her powerful, but she needs to demonstrate that in just the right way so that she’ll have opportunities after graduation without making everyone think she’s actually evil.
Much darker and sharper than most magical boarding school stories, the writing is smart and the story is utterly enthralling. I’m on three separate library hold lists for the second book, so let’s hope it comes in quickly because I want more!
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping [On a Dead Man] by Jesse Q. Sutanto: Bookshop.org | Amazon
This is the sequel to Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, which I read and adored a few years ago.
I’m delighted to report that the second book in the series is also excellent: Vera is an amateur private detective, tea-shop owner, honorary grandmother, and charmingly nosy neighbor who has managed to wiggle her way into another murder case by asking questions, feeding the suspects home-cooked meals, a bit of snooping, and simply refusing to take no for an answer.
This cozy mystery series has strong themes of found family, finding purpose as an older adult, and the importance of being part of a community.
This second book in the series has some darker elements that come to light as part of the mystery. TW for human trafficking and child abuse, mostly off-page.
Want to see more fiction I’m loving? Click here.
Internets
Anabela Chan’s Fruit Gems™: Fine Jewellery Made from Food Waste. What do you think of this groundbreaking collection?
A court case led to a landmark ruling in the age old question: who should keep the engagement ring when an engagement ends?
The best paraiba tourmaline pieces by the world’s top jewellers: Vivid in color and ultra-rare, this gem is having a moment.
New Online Hallmark Finder from Antique Jewellers Simplifies British Jewellery Authentication. This is a fantastic tool for antique jewelry lovers.
You Can Finally Reset Your Instagram Algorithm. Did you know that you can reset your Instagram algorithm?? This article explains how.
Bulgari’s glorious, grand finale to Color Journey: Bulgari embraces color with the final ‘Color Journey’ high jewelry capsule collection dedicated to the tourmaline (this article is statement necklace heaven).
See more What I’m Reading here, my index of book reviews here, or go straight to my ShopMy wishlist of fiction here. Want jewelry books? Here you go.
Book images via UnSplash. This post contains affiliate links.
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like you, i am happy to see the back of hot, humid, summer hell…
thanks for the links and book reccies.
i’m rather surprised the courts are now saying engagement rings must be returned if a wedding is cancelled. i was always taught that a gift is a gift–it becomes the property of the recipient, once given. i was also taught that ‘nice women’ should return a ring if the engagement is broken by either party, especially if its cost exceeded greatly the ordinary financial means of the giver, or if it was a family heirloom. i also grew up with women who left behind any jewellery that was given by a spouse or his family in the event of divorce, but at the same time, i heard tantalising snippets about some women who kept and sold valuable pieces as a sort of tit-for-tat to unfaithful or abusive ex-husbands. so i suppose sentiment might go either way, depending upon individual situations…still, to me, a gift is a gift. we don’t get to say ‘i want that back now that things are different’ ordinarily, and i see no reason why this should be different? perhaps we should move away from overspending on engagement rings and weddings in general. ostentation is always vulgar, no? lol.
Nice post — loved the cozy, autumnal mood. Quick question: do you find you read different genres more in fall, or do you stick to familiar favorites like these? Also, curious if you’d recommend holding off on sequels until library waits shorten or just buying if you can’t wait.