What I’ll Be Reading This Winter

Ever since I was young, I have always been a big reader. Whether it was a book from the Harry Potter series or a historical fiction novel, books and the magic that they hold have always entranced me.

Picking up reading again for the pure pleasure of it is one of the items on my “2018 Goals” list and I fully intend to meet it. Already, I have joined a book club and scooped up some books that I have been wanting to read for a while, I.e. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Some of the books on my list, such as I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll and Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, are being read for my book club but also are ones that I have been wanting to check out. Since reading Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, I have been wanting to read more and more thriller, suspense stories. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn is a recently published thriller that I have heard many great things about, so of course that also needed to be on my list as well.

With Beneath a Scarlet Sky, I go back to my love of historical fiction. The book is based on an incredible true story of a young man who used his position as a personal driver for Hitler’s left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, to spy for the Allies. For those who are also into historical fiction, I urge you to also read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. The writing in both is spectacular and you won’t want to put them down, unless it is to think about the beautiful stories that Hannah and Doerr can weave.

Being a fan of Kristin Hannah’s work, I also have decided to give her new book, The Great Alone, a read. It doesn’t come out until February 6th, but the reviews of it so far have been wonderful. No surprise there, though, as she is an incredible storyteller.

What are y’all excited to read this winter?

-C

 

 

**All books can be found on Amazon.

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$25 and Under Gift Guide for Her

 

As much as we all love the holiday season, it can honestly be a really be a stressful time, especially when you are shopping for others. Don’t worry y’all, no matter if they’re a a music lover, planner, bibliophile, beauty junkie, cat lover, or a wannabe chef, you’ll find something for everyone who is on your list.

And for those who are struggling to find that perfect gift, I have cultivated a few lists of some of my personal favorites (starting with this one) to help you out. I personally love to go with more quirky gifts, hence the cat coloring book for the cat lover in your life (seriously though…they probably have enough stuffed cats as it is) or a sassy mug for the bibliophile.

Just remember that they’ll be happy just with knowing you thought of them this holiday season.

Happy holiday shopping y’all! 

-C

 

(From left–> Bon Iver “22, A Million” LP: $25,98; Adorn Essential Oils Set: $24; Jot What It Takes Pencil Set: $19.99; Bonheur 2016/2017 Planner: $22; “A Million Cats” Coloring Book: $9.95; “Milk and Honey”: $15.19; Sephora Favorites Travel Perfume Set: $25; “Cool Story, Poe.” Mug: $16; “One Pan, Two Plates”: $24.95; Y’s and Wherefores Necklace: $19.99)

To Be Read….

As mentioned previously, for the past couple of months I picked up leisurely reading again as a hobby.

For over a month now, I have been re-reading the Harry Potter series with a close girlfriend of mine to reminisce about our childhoods as we anticipate the release of The Cursed Child. While re- reading that particular series, though, I have found time to read other books.

I just finished Gone Girl (and absolutely loved it!!), which has been on my to be read shelf for a couple of weeks now. I am now starting Milk & Honey, a book of poetry by the amazing Rupi Kaur. From the bits that I’ve already read, I can already tell Milk & Honey is going to impact me in such a profound way.

Do y’all have any book recommendations or thoughts on any of the above books?

-C

 

To see more of what I’m reading check out my Instagram: @shortsweetandloverly 

Wednesday Want: Obvious State’s Bloom Collection

 

Obvious State, a New York City-based design studio cofounded by Evan and Nichole Robertson, combines gorgeous patterns with “provocative language and literature”.

Their most recent collection, the Bloom collection, combines quotes from 6 Romantic Period poets (Blake, Byron, Shelley, Keats, Coleridge, and Wordsworth) with beautiful florals. It currently consists of: 8 totes, 2 mugs, a set of bookmarks, 8 prints, and 8 cards.

I personally just ordered the “Harmony” Mug  and the Bloom Bookmark Set (both pictured), and I am happy to say that the price tag of these items are just as wonderful as the items themselves.

-C

(Photos from the Obvious State website)

Be Our Guest

 

As a child, I watched the animated version of Beauty & the Beast countless times. So, when I heard a few years ago they were going to do a live action version of it, with Emma Watson playing Belle, I was of course quite excited .

Today, Walt Disney Studios released a teaser trailer for the movie and my first thoughts were: 1. loving the music 2. yesss creepy castle 3. Ian McKlellen says “you fool” in this? awesome 4. oh hey Belle.

Let’s just say I can’t wait for more trailers to come out for this movie and to finally see it in March of next year!

-C 

Currently Reading

I’ve always been an avid reader. When I was in the second grade, I read all of the books from the Nancy Drew and Boxcar Children series. From there, I went on to read the Harry Potter series, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit series.

Reading was always my favorite escape, as TV can only entertain me for so long and I wasn’t interested in video games like some of my peers. So when I wasn’t swimming or hanging out with family/friends, I was just about always reading. Even as I got older and started delving into a wider range of books, such as Lolita and East of Eden and Fight Club, reading was always one of my favorite things to do.

While going to college, I wasn’t able to leisurely read as much as I wanted unless it was summertime (aka a time when I didn’t have to read for class). Since Field Camp, I’ve been wanting to get back into reading more and have been able to do so these past couple of months. I’ve read The Martian, The Secret Lives of Dresses, Angels & Demons, and Me Before You and am just now starting Station Eleven–a book that was recommended to me by many people. After Station Eleven, I’ll be reading The Picture of Dorian Gray, Nightingale, and The Goldfinch, which I just ordered yesterday off of Amazon (shout out to Amazon Prime for their amazing prices!).

What books have you read lately? Have any all time favorites that I should get to reading ASAP?

-C

P.S To check out the books themselves, go to my IG account: shortsweetandloverly