oh gosh, I have lots of recs! what kind of book are you looking for? if you haven't read any other Laurie Colwins, you might also love Happy All The Time! Another you might like is Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld. xo
I love when I am reminded how good it feels to pay someone else a compliment. We both get something nice! I love a good fun and fancy manicure, and you wouldn't believe how often I tell people "your nails are beautiful!" and then we get to have a nice chit chat about where they get their nails done and we both walk away a little more lit up. Lovely!
I love the mention of comfort reads--it's been a tough month over here with stints of solo parenting while my partner travels + illness, and I've found myself returning to Elizabeth Strout's beautiful, quiet stories (Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again, in particular) as a way to ground myself. I'm placing holds at the library for several of the books you mention here!
Oh gosh, Sarah, hang in there. ❤️ Elizabeth Strout's books are so lovely. A comfort read is such a wonderful thing to look forward to when life is tricky. Xo Amelia ❤️
Loved these suggestions! Whenever I hear the birds on a walk, it makes me want to twirl in circles. They instantly uplift my mood! Also YES to popcorn for dinner!
My heart leapt at the Laurie Colwin mention! I just love the complicated women in her novels, especially Family Happiness. She was so brilliant. I’ll put the Stegner & Sittenfeld titles on my TBR list. Thank you!
Love this, Amelia! Have the most wonderful vacation – and I’m 100% with you on the 🐦!! And the power of photos - I recently covered our entire kitchen fridge with them from over the years, and it’s wonderful just to stand there perusing them, and seeing others do the same. Oh, and Narnia!! (have you ever been to Oxford, and seen some of the landmark sites which inspired CS Lewis in creating Narnia? That’s a whole other subject!). 💖
We still have all of this year's holiday cards up on our notice board - it's so fun to look at them I don't want take them down 😉 I have been to Oxford but not for a long time - v excited that Greta Gerwig is filming a new version!
Greta Gerwig is remaking Narnia?! I had no idea! The bird thing is real - I keep thinking I should work at a "proper" desk, but moving away from the view of the birdbath stops me!
Yes!! Will be interesting to see what your adult perspective is - when I reread those books I'm remembering how I felt when I read them the first time!
Wow, my favorite book of all time is Crossing to Safety and Family Happiness is top 5. Any other book recommendations??
oh gosh, I have lots of recs! what kind of book are you looking for? if you haven't read any other Laurie Colwins, you might also love Happy All The Time! Another you might like is Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld. xo
I love when I am reminded how good it feels to pay someone else a compliment. We both get something nice! I love a good fun and fancy manicure, and you wouldn't believe how often I tell people "your nails are beautiful!" and then we get to have a nice chit chat about where they get their nails done and we both walk away a little more lit up. Lovely!
The quick chat after you give a compliment is such a lovely moment of low-key connection! Always makes me feel warm and fuzzy!
thank you so much for including Handpicked in here amelia :)
Happy to!
I love the mention of comfort reads--it's been a tough month over here with stints of solo parenting while my partner travels + illness, and I've found myself returning to Elizabeth Strout's beautiful, quiet stories (Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again, in particular) as a way to ground myself. I'm placing holds at the library for several of the books you mention here!
Oh gosh, Sarah, hang in there. ❤️ Elizabeth Strout's books are so lovely. A comfort read is such a wonderful thing to look forward to when life is tricky. Xo Amelia ❤️
Loved these suggestions! Whenever I hear the birds on a walk, it makes me want to twirl in circles. They instantly uplift my mood! Also YES to popcorn for dinner!
Have a wonderful vacation, Amelia!!! 💘
Twirling is another mood booster! 😉💃
The way I *gasped* when I read “drinking water out of a wine glass”!
Good gasp or bad gasp?!
The best kind: a “why have I never thought to do this before?!” gasp!
Everything tastes better in a wine glass 😉🥂
My heart leapt at the Laurie Colwin mention! I just love the complicated women in her novels, especially Family Happiness. She was so brilliant. I’ll put the Stegner & Sittenfeld titles on my TBR list. Thank you!
A fellow Family Happiness enthusiast! I think about Polly all the time! Such a subversive story and so beautifully done.
Same!!!
Love this, Amelia! Have the most wonderful vacation – and I’m 100% with you on the 🐦!! And the power of photos - I recently covered our entire kitchen fridge with them from over the years, and it’s wonderful just to stand there perusing them, and seeing others do the same. Oh, and Narnia!! (have you ever been to Oxford, and seen some of the landmark sites which inspired CS Lewis in creating Narnia? That’s a whole other subject!). 💖
We still have all of this year's holiday cards up on our notice board - it's so fun to look at them I don't want take them down 😉 I have been to Oxford but not for a long time - v excited that Greta Gerwig is filming a new version!
Bird watching is such a great one that I always forget about, and it's totally free and accessible. :) Appreciate these little reminders!
I would forget, too, except that I'm looking out the window at them all the time!
Thank you, Amelia, for including me in such great company! (Love re-reading Laurie Colwin…while wearing red lipstick 💄 😆)
Your red lipstick makes me happy! ❤️
Have a great trip! xx
Have a wonderful break!
I'm fascinated by the birds statistic and going to start paying more attention to how I feel around birds.
I will forever cry as the girls walk with Aslan to the stone table 😭 (I'm so excited for Greta's take with her films!)
Greta Gerwig is remaking Narnia?! I had no idea! The bird thing is real - I keep thinking I should work at a "proper" desk, but moving away from the view of the birdbath stops me!
Sounds like you should never get a “proper” desk.
I’ve never read the Narnia series and have always wanted to. I even *OWN* a full box set. Might be time to crack it open. 🙃
Yes!! Will be interesting to see what your adult perspective is - when I reread those books I'm remembering how I felt when I read them the first time!