Currently • February 2022

“February is the border between winter and spring.” ― Terri Guillemets

READING:

• The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams — “Looking at the headlines--a global pandemic, the worsening climate crisis, political upheaval--it can be hard to feel optimistic. And yet hope has never been more desperately needed. In this urgent book, Jane Goodall, the world's most famous living naturalist and Doug Abrams, internationally-bestselling author, explore--through intimate and thought-provoking dialogue--one of the most sought after and least understood elements of human nature: hope” (Goodreads). I wanted to be as inspired by this book as I was by The Book of Joy, but I wasn’t. It was interesting, but it felt darker. I’m not sure if it was the book itself or just my own current outlook, but it didn’t leave me feeling hopeful.

• The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis — “In her latest captivating novel, nationally bestselling author Fiona Davis takes readers into the glamorous lost art school within Grand Central Terminal, where two very different women, fifty years apart, strive to make their mark on a world set against them” (Goodreads). Yes, yet another novel by Fiona Davis — I’ve warmed to her intriguing albeit formulaic mysterious connections between New York’s past and present.

• Villa America by Liza Klaussmann — “America was in fact a real house on the French Riviera that Sara and Gerald Murphy built to escape to in the 1920's. Members of a group of expat Americans, they were known for their fabulous parties and for making the Riviera into the glamorous place it is today. Their freewheeling days were filled with champagne and caviar, but these were people who kept secrets and who were, of course, heartbreakingly human. This is a stunning story about the Lost Generation, about a marriage, about a golden age which could not last” (Goodreads). Although I gravitate toward historical fiction, especially involving the Lost Generation, I didn’t enjoy this novel. It seemed determined, not only to expose the ugliness behind the glamor, but also to shock and disgust the read with gratuitous violence and negativity.

• The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher — “When bookish young American Sylvia Beach opens Shakespeare and Company on a quiet street in Paris in 1919, she has no idea that she and her new bookstore will change the course of literature itself…Sylvia--a woman who has made it her mission to honor the life-changing impact of books--must decide what Shakespeare and Company truly means to her” (Goodreads).

WATCHING:

• Project Runway Season 19 — Spoiler Alert: I loved the all-female finale.

• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 — Welcome back, Midge, I missed you and your fabulous wardrobe.

LISTENING TO:

• Sailing Stories Podcast Season 1: Brave or Stupid — Brave or Stupid by Tracey Christiansen, Yanne Larsson and Carl-Erik Andersson is a rich narration of how two best friends fulfilled their dream of sailing around the world. Carl and Yanne had been best friends for very many years, and one day they thought of taking a sailing trip around the world.

FEELING:

• Cooped up — I was so tempted to book a trip to Paris during Spring Break, but in the end, I decided to hold off a bit longer.

• Ready for spring — I love winter, but this year, it seemed extra cold and dreary without the lovely snow that makes me so happy. This year more than ever as February comes to a close, I am officially ready for a change of season. I’m not a fan of messy March, but I am ready to see the first snowdrops peaking though the frozen ground, the tiny buds on the branches, the first robin, and the exciting hints of green that are already there if I look closely enough.

ENJOYING:

• Wordle, etc. — Yes, I jumped on the Wordle bandwagon, and I’ve also started doing Quordle (Wordle x4 in 9 tries), Nerdle (math problems) and Le Mot (Wordle in French).

• Marquette Basketball — Shaka Smart ‘s first year as head coach has been a wild ride.

• Little birthday celebrations that make me feel a bit special at a time when I really need a little boost.

"Twosday" Ice Storm - 2/22/22

"A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky unbidden and seems like a thing of wonder." ― Susan Orlean … and today’s “ice day” was even more wonderful.

Links I Love • February 2022

“Though February is short, it is filled with lots of love and sweet surprises.” – Charmaine J. Forde

• The Story of Ladurée and le macaron

• French Lifestyle Secrets - Great advice

• Rooney Mara is Perfectly Cast as Audrey Hepburn in Apple’s Forthcoming Biopic

• What It’s Like to Spend the Night at Versailles

• 5 Films sur Coco Chanel à Voir Absolument

• Yves Saint Laurent Takes Paris — For the first time, one designer’s work is being showcased — simultaneously — at five major French museums.

• The Beginner's Guide to Visiting Champagne — I’d love to do this sometime.

• Valentine’s Day In France — traditions, treats, and terms of endearment

January 2022 in Pictures

“Feeling a little blue in January is normal.” - Marilu Henner

Year 10 of my photo-a-day project

Currently • January 2022

“Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.” — Rabindranath Tagore

READING:

• The Philosophy of Snoopy: Peanuts Guide to Life by Charles M. Schulz — “The world's most beloved beagle shares his philosophy on life in this beautifully produced gift book for all generations. In his inimitable style, Snoopy spends his days extolling the virtues of dancing, hanging out with his best bird friend Woodstock, pursuing a full supper dish and giving his owner - our favourite lovable loser, Charlie Brown - the run-around” (Goodreads).

• The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict — “The remarkable, little-known story of Belle da Costa Greene, J. P. Morgan's personal librarian—who became one of the most powerful women in New York despite the dangerous secret she kept in order to make her dreams come true” (Goodreads).

• The Summer of ‘69 by Elin Hilderbrand — “ It's 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer with their grandmother in Nantucket: but this year Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, a nursing student, is caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests, a passion which takes her to Martha's Vineyard with her friend, Mary Jo Kopechne. Only son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother who is hiding some secrets of her own. As the summer heats up, Teddy Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, a man flies to the moon, and Jessie experiences some sinking and flying herself, as she grows into her own body and mind” (Goodreads).

• The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis — “Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, twenty-one-year-old Lillian Carter’s life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists’ models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge. But with her mother gone, a grieving Lillian is rudderless …So when she stumbles upon an employment opportunity at the Frick mansion—a building that, ironically, bears her own visage—Lillian jumps at the chance. But the longer she works as a private secretary to the imperious and demanding Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, the more deeply her life gets intertwined with that of the family—pulling her into a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that runs so deep, the stakes just may be life or death.

  Nearly fifty years later, mod English model Veronica Weber has her own chance to make her career—and with it, earn the money she needs to support her family back home—within the walls of the former Frick residence, now converted into one of New York City’s most impressive museums. But when she—along with a charming intern/budding art curator named Joshua—is dismissed from the Vogue shoot taking place at the Frick Collection, she chances upon a series of hidden messages in the museum: messages that will lead her and Joshua on a hunt that could not only solve Veronica’s financial woes, but could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family” (Goodreads).

WATCHING:

• Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts on HBO Max — “Cast members from all "Harry Potter" films reunite in a retrospective special to celebrate the anniversary of the first film, including interviews and cast conversations” (IMDb).

• All of the Harry Potter movies on HBO Max — I read all of the books and saw all of the movies years ago, but it was great to rewatch them in order to get the full experience.

LISTENING TO: Nothing special. Any podcast recommendations?

ENJOYING:

• Some special birthdays — My nephew turned 18 (How is that even possible?) and Miss Piper turned 7. Time goes too fast.

• The bright, Scandi minimalism that is our home after all the holiday decorations are put away, the carpets and windows are cleaned, and everything is "back to normal.”

• Yoga — While I have been very motivated to row over 1,000,000 meters, after rowing everyday for months, I have begun to have chronic pain and stiffness in my left hip. I read a lot about it and am hopeful that I have simply been overworking it and not giving the ligaments time to heal between workouts. So, rather than rowing everyday, I started doing yoga a couple days a week. It is energizing and relaxing while also revealing how stiff I really am. So, if 2021 was the year to build a consistent exercise routine, 2022 will be about adding strength, balance, and mobility.

Links I Love • January 2022

“January is the month for dreaming.” – Jean Hersey

• 9 French-Inspired Resolutions to Adopt This Year — Books, coffee, movies, music, alone time, exercise, skin care, food, and time with friends and family — Sounds great to me.

• 9 French Airbnb’s with History — Why not stay where da Vinci, Monet, Jacques Prévert, and Julia child were inspired to greatness?

• A Francophile Guide for your Best French Self in 2022 — A great list for readers, writers, foodies, fashionistas, and oenophiles alike.

• The Ultimate Travel Bucket List for Europe (Condé Nast Traveller) — An Italian road trip, Greek island hopping, a Nordic adventure…One can only dream! I’ll share my ultimate travel bucket list here soon.

• Why Introverts Excelled at Working From Home — I enjoyed working from home during the lockdown. I was productive and more relaxed, completing both home- and work-related tasks. I think a am a “quiet deliverer”.

• Style Lessons from 35 Parisian Apartments — I like the eclectic combination of historic and modern, but especially the way that each Parisian apartment reflect’s the owner’s taste and personality.

• Take a Peek Inside the Newly Renovated Musée de Carnavalet