If you don’t live locally you probably didn’t see this (why would you?), but our family was on the cover of St. Helena Living!! I was fighting the flu the day they interviewed us for the article so thank goodness Andrew was there to speak real words. And then we had to have a photoshoot where the photographer told us to hold hands and I laughed at the forced romance of it all. “We’re not hand holders!” I told him and, yet, there we are on the cover holding hands (image below is from the article because I happen to love that shot).
But, also, we never ever have our picture taken. There are maybe a handful of pictures total on my camera role with the four of us squeezed in the frame. And, as the primary picture taker in the family, I’m not in 98% of the shots (it’s something I’m having to learn to be better at as the face of the bookstore), so what a thing it is to have these pictures of our little family.
People have been popping into the bookstore to say they read it and, not to sound twee, but I am so charmed by the small town-ness of it all. Plus, the background feels like it was plucked straight from the cover of this week’s book, Broken Country.
Our Away suitcase finally bit the dust after years and wear and tear. We were in a need of new one and, of course, the Away x White Lotus collection sold out instantly so Google decided I might like to try a different brand. Enter Monos — I was defenseless against the butter yellow!! Can’t wait to roll up to the hotel in Hawaii over spring break with this new beauty.
Shonda Rhimes show, The Residence, is such a delight!! Like a modern clue with a stellar cast and plenty of intrigue. If that’s not enough, the MAIRA KALMAN illustrated the opening titles! They are, unsurprisingly, incredible.
We also tore through both episodes of The Studio starring Seth Rogen as the newly appointed head of a movie studio. What a cast! Catherine O’Hara. Bryan Cranston. Martin Scorsese made an appearance. But they had me at Kathryn Hann.
I am such a huge fan of — I find her to be absolutely brilliant — and love her solo podcast episodes where she lays bare everything she’s feeling. Yesterday’s episode about wanting a bigger platform/more recognition while also recoiling from the current media need to market yourself (the ick factor!) and the increasingly bizarre entertainment-based nature of what’s popular. It stirred up so many thoughts.
Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall
Back-to-back weeks with completely terrific books!! What a gift that is. First of all, don’t let the depressing title get you down (or the sinister cover art), Broken Country is a deeply wonderful read. I’m positive that Reese chose it for her book club because it’s begging to be adapted for the big screen.
I was texting with a friend about it and she said she probably wasn’t going to read it based on the book jacket. But I pressed on because that’s what friends do in this scenario (also, text threads about books are the best text threads).
As I mentioned in the thread, the story is set in Dorset and centers around Beth and her two great loves and it asks the question, can a person truly love two people at once? It’s a drama, a mystery and a made-me-weak-at-the-knees love story all rolled into one. I fell hard for the characters and am now seriously thinking that I belong in the English countryside, taking ambling walks and meeting my husband at the pub on a Friday night for a pint.
The novel follows three storylines. We see Beth ‘before’ as a teenager and the summer she meets Gabriel Wolfe (what a name!). We see her in 1968, happily married and living on a sheep farm with her steady, lovely husband. And then there is ‘The Trial’ which builds the suspense as you don’t know exactly what’s happened. There is grief, there is lust, there is heart-pounding and heart-breaking love. It kept me hanging on until the last page — I did not see that ending coming!
Broken Country was so incredibly immersive. You can picture the farm. You can picture Meadowlands where Gabriel lives. You can picture Nina the sister-in-law and her 60’s hot pink mini dress amongst all of the wool and tweeds of small town rural England. Claire Leslie Hall built such a rich world and I stepped greedily into it.
I mean, look at this blurb:
It is as romantic about the British countryside as Elena Ferrante is about Naples. Both a love story and a pulsing suspense, you could wait a lifetime for a novel as good as this.”—Jo Furniss, author of The Last to Know
If I ever write a novel, that’s what I want someone to say about it.
A sweet ditsy print ‘lounge dress’ that would look exceptionally good with those Wellingtons. Piyama Penelope Lounge Dress $89
Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall
A timeless pair of Wellington’s to muck about on the farm. Le Chameau Vierzon Boot $300
Barbour because, of course. This ‘Showerproof Jacket’ created in collaboration with Lucy Williams is superb. Barbour Jacket $450
A classic trench for when you need to look smart. Sezane Clyde Trench $350
Gabriel and Beth are both writers and a beautiful European-made notebook demands to be tucked into back pockets for when inspiration strikes. How good is the color combo on this one?? Semikolon Notebook $20.37
Beth should throw on this pretty top with a pair of jeans and meet up with her honey. Cotton so it won’t look like she’s trying too hard, but a step up from farm clothes. Boden Arabella Blouse $98
I have Coco and Wolf bedding in the girls’ room and, nearly 8 years later, I am still in love with it. Made with Liberty fabrics, it is quintessentially British. Coco & Wolf Bedding
A delicate cable knit lemon chiffon cardigan to wear forever and ever until it’s threadbare and well loved. Doen Penrose Cardigan $268
Hope you’re reading something good!
MAIRA KALMAN opening titles?! Say no more!
I'm trying not to devour this book in one sitting. It has revived me, in the best way!!!