Emily Wilde Book Series

 Dear Readers,

Have you ever read a book that enchanted you so much you wished you could read their adventures ad infinitum?  This happened only once in my life with the trilogy of "Lord of the Rings" from Tolkien.  

This time it happened with the Emily Wilde book series from Heather Fawcett.  The first book is entitled "Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries".  It's the story a young lady named Emily Wilde, a professor from Cambridge, who goes on a journey to a cold faraway village to study faeries.

I read this book in July 2023 and it had been a while since I was this happy about reading a novel. This book alone rekindled my interest in reading fantasy fiction. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could. 

The premise is original, and the plot evolves in slow motion at first but it picks up a faster pace eventually and I could not put the book down until I was done reading. I was never bored and the twists and turns kept me wondering what would happen next. The main character is relatable; I was slightly annoyed at her mistakes but soon found her very human in her flaws and it made me cheer for her whenever she was able to overcome her problems. 

Another professor joined her in her quest and I didn't like him very much at first.  A handsome and elegant man who goes by the name of Wendell Bambleby.  I found him insufferable and arrogant, but I eventually warmed up to him after seeing how witty and brave he could be. 

The other minor characters were also likeable and I was very invested in knowing everyone's fate. I read this novel in one seating, and I never had the urge to skip pages or stop reading.  And this says a lot about how interesting this book is because I had my fair share of abandoning stories from sheer boredom.

I waited with much anticipation for the sequel which was released this month!  The second book's title is "Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands" was published in January 2024 and I devoured it in 6 hours, staying up into the night because I absolutely couldn't put the book down and wanted to know the ending!

I loved it even more than the first book because I could see Emily in her element at Cambridge university, and I could also read more about the other teachers unlike the first novel where the action was at the village and her school was only mentioned occasionally.

I also like her secondary characters a lot more in the sequel.  The first one being her 19 year-old niece Ariadne who is an enthusiastic research assistant.  She has such a bubbly and innocent personality!  But she is also very brave and resourceful.  I hope she will be part of the next sequel.

The second sidekick is another Professor, Dr. Rose, who is head of the Dryadology department.  At first, he appeared antipathic.  The old professor seems more like a foe than a friend.  It took a while for me to warm up to his character because he behaved like a bumbling fool on many occasions.  

One thing about Heather Fawcett is that there is a good dose of humor in her novels and this series is no exception.  Despite the sometimes sad circumstances, there are many moments that made me smile.  

But I must warn you: there are some descriptions of killing and loss of body parts but the gore is not too scary, even for someone like me who usually despises reading about violence or deaths.

Overall, reading these novels feels like embarking on a thrilling but cozy adventure.  The author seems to convey a light-hearted ambiance for this story, and it doesn't takes itself too seriously either so it makes for an enjoyable read.  If you like academia fantasy and fairy fantasy, this will be right your alley.

I recommend these books wholeheartedly and I can't wait to read the third installment of this series!  Did you read these books yet? Please let me know if you have!

I wish you all a great month in February!

Christmas Lights

 Dear Readers,

I wish you a Merry Christmas! I hope you'll have a beautiful day with your family and friends.  May your heart be filled with joy and love!  

Do you like Christmas lights? Do you like to decorate for Christmas?  A few days ago, we went to see the Christmas Lights at Pecan Grove Plantation.  It was as beautiful as always.  It's a neighborhood that holds a contest every Christmas for the most beautifully decorated house.  

I am sharing with you a few pictures from that night.  The house owners are so friendly and many greet you when you drive by.  Some even offer candies.  People are very patient even when the cars are driving super slow.  There are hayrides too that will drive you around the neighborhood.

To see such lovely displays of Christmas Light and the neighborhood's friendliness was heartwarming.  I wish you all a pleasant day!

The Art of Yogisya

 Dear Readers,

I was intrigued by the illustrations of Yogisya so I purchased his book "The Art of Yogisya (Japanese Edition) in paperback format (softcover).

I did not know about this artist until I saw her illustrations on Instagram. I was instantly charmed by her mesmerizing drawings and bought her book. The following pictures of her book were shared on the store website where I bought so I think it's alright if I show them to you. 

This book is about fairy tales but also about other stories like a play from Shakespeare and even a poem (from Edgar Allan Poe).  The text is in Japanese only, but I think you can translate nowadays with some of the apps available with smartphones. 

Her drawings are dainty, inspiring and absolutely magical because it makes my heart happy just to look at them.

I don't know much more about this artist but you can find her on various social media platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yogisya/

Website: https://yogisya.art/

Blog: https://yogisya.art/blog/

Work: https://yogisya.art/work/

I think she has also illustrated a planner with the theme of Harry Potter.   

Do you like her illustrations?  If you know of other books by her, please let me know!

I wish you all a beautiful weekend wherever you are!  

Poetry for Kids: Emily Dickinson

Dear Readers,

I have been looking for poetry book for my daughter who has recently shown a marked interested in writing and reading poems.  She would often scribble in her notbeook and read me some excerpts when she feels brave enough to share.

She asked me to recommend poets for her to read but since I grew up learning French poetry and not English poetry,  I wasn't too sure of what could be good poems for her age.

I started looking around and found a lovely collection of illustrated books aimed to introduce children (age range: 8-12 years old) to famous poets such as Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost.

So I bought "Poetry for Kids: Emily Dickinson" with illustrations by Christine Davenier.  Susan Snively, who is a guide at the Emily Dickinson Museum, wrote the introduction (a short biography of Emily's life). 

The illustrations are truly beautiful and match the content of the poems: nature, small animals, the change of seasons, etc. 

There are a few word definitions for each poem but no explations as to the meaning of the poems.  This was a bit of a letdown because it would have been nice for the children to explore the themes and context of these poems. 

And it would have made it easier for the parents too because children sure do have a lot of questions!  ^_^

But overall,  my daughter enjoyed this book very much.  She loved the very colorful illustrations too. 

Do you like poetry? Do you know of good poetry books for children?

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady

 Dear Readers,

It's already December 2023 and I can't believe how quickly this year went by!  So many things have happened since my last post. I am sorry I didn't update my blog sooner.  However, I do want to share my happiness with others so they too can experience it for themselves.  Life is hard for all, such is our condition when we are born in this mortal realm, but there is sometimes beauty in life and it's up to us to find it.

I recently came across a book that made my heart soar: "The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady: by Edith Holden.

It's a beautiful hardcover book with illustration of the English countryside.  It's a reminder of how life used to be slower and how we could easily find beauty in the simple gifts of nature at each season.

If you like plants, flowers and little animals, this book will transport you to a different era in the old English countryside where you can walk in the serene gardens made by Mother Earth.

I don't like the cold and I struggle to find comfort in the winter months but this book has given me another perspective of the dreaded upcoming months.  Book are food for the soul in that regards.  You feast with your eyes but you also walk away with food for thoughts and a greatful heart.

Have a wonderful day dear Readers. I wish you all a peaceful month of December. 

Organize Your Life with Planners

 Dear Readers,

We will start a new year in a few days and it's time to get a new planner!  I love planners and I wanted to show you the ones I used.  I meant to post this article in the summer but I had to change my plans many times because of people getting sick around me, at home or at the office.  At times, I felt overwhelmed by bouts of illness but had to quickly get back on my feet because my family depends on me and I can't take days off from work without affecting the office.

My fixed schedule was constantly interrupted and I had to postpone or cancel many plans.  The changing circumstances around me forced me to find new ways to juggle my time.

I knew it was time for me to re-evaluate my planning system.  I know many people don't ever want to use a planner and they seem to live fine without it (I don't know how they do it!) but I am not one of those people.  I need a planner to not forget appointments, deadlines, birthdays, events, meetings, etc.  I also use my planner to work toward my personal goals as well.   

There are many planner systems and people should choose a system that suits their needs and lifestyle!  So what I will show you in this blog post may not be something that works best for you but it could give you some ideas!

I have used different types of planners since elemenary school years.  I started with a tiny lined notebook, then I upgraded to a small 3-ring binder, then a full-size binder, the bullet journal, and then I got hooked to the Traveler's Notebook system.

I love how easy it is to use a Traveler's Notebook but with increasing projects in my life, I needed more than just one planner and I needed more writing space too.

So I use different planners depending on the areas where I need the most organization:

• Events, billing, appointments
• Work, tasks, deadlines
• Health, workout, diet
• Gratitude Journal
• Family Photos
• Meal Planning

I prefer dated journals when I know I will write something daily so I don't have to spend too much time on adding dates.   

For my photo journal, I don't use dates at all because I won't print pictures everyday.  If you are the type of person to print photos everyday, then a daily dated journal would probably work best for you!

I'll show you today the planner I use for work : The Classic Happy Planner Twin Loop, which is a wire-bound planner with a vertical layout from Michael's Craft Store.

It has a hard cover and it stays on my desk at the office.

You can see the whole year in one spread.

There is a monthly vertical layout.

It also has a monthly section where I can see the whole month in one spread.

At the endof each month there is a recap page.

I like how each month tab has a beautiful art cover.

The weekly spread is where I write most of entries.  It has a margin on the left to write a weekly list or follow-ups.

I wanted to show you my other journals too but that would be for another day!  I hope you will find the planner type that suits you the best!

I wish you all a Happy New Year and good luck with any resolutions or goals you may have!

A Christmas Vacation in the City

Dear Readers,

I have posted a little Christmas story on my Instagram account so I wanted to share this as well on my blog for those who don't have Instagram!  The first dollhouse I bought after my daughter was born was a dollhouse from Calico Critters/Sylvanian Families and I still love this brand very much.  The animal figures are adorable and I wanted to share my love for these toys by creating a photo story with them.  I have also included toys from the Playmobil company and miniature from Re-ment.

The Norwood Mouse Family live in a cozy cottage in the countryside.

A few days before Christmas, the Norwood Mouse Family gets a call. Their cousins are inviting them to come over for the holidays

Mommy mouse hurriedly picks a few vegetables from her garden as gifts to her cousins. 

Far away in the city, the Milky Mouse family is getting ready to welcome their cousins for the Christmas holidays.

The Milky Mouse Family are gathering in the living room to light the Christmas tree.

At last the Norwood Mouse Family arrives!

“Fresh vegetables? Thank you ! It’s so sweet of you! But my family prefer cookies and cupcakes.

“This is your room ? I never want to leave this place!"

“Let’s watch the World Cup and play video games after! Best vacation ever!”

After a very exciting evening, all big and little mice are fast asleep.

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël! 

Christmas vacation was so much fun but being away makes you appreciate your own home even more because nothing compares to home! Merry Christmas dear friends! May you enjoy happiness and peace with your loved ones.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this story and I wish you all a very happy holiday season and a happy new year!

Journey to Happiness

Dear Readers,

Summer is here.  The weather is sticky and humid where I live but my old bones appreciate the warmth. How are you?  Have you been taking care of yourself?  Have you planned a vacation?  After the death of my father, I had to rethink my life once more.   If there is one thing that mortality does, is to make you question your life all over again. 

I thought of the reasons why I started blogging and how happy it made me feel back then.  My intention has not changed: I still want to share with others what makes me smile so that people can also feel happy and learn from my experience.

This is why I didn’t want to talk much about my struggles but it’s part of why I was silent for a long time.  I didn’t want to burden others with negativity.  Life comes with highs and lows but we have to get up to continue walking on the road otherwise we will stay down.  So I have decided to get up and keep on walking to reach the highs and live in the sunshine.

Will you join me on my journey to happiness?  I hope you can also find here reasons to enjoy the little things that can make your life better!

To get started, I asked myself questions about my goals in life:

• What is important to me? (what are my values)
• What do I want?  (how do I want to live my life)
• How do I get what I want? (what do I need to do)

I did quite a lot of reading in the past few month and one book in particular helped me focus on the task at hand: "Crush your Limits" by Thibaut Meurisse.  I am not paid to advertise this book or any of his work.  I have read other books and articles but this is the book that gave me the push to take actions to get back on my feet.

After brainstorming, I made a list of what I needed to do.  This list applies to my present situation and may change in the future.  And of course, your list may differ a little or a lot from mine depending on your situation.  

List of things to do

1. Set up a desk so I can plan my life and future projects
2. Set up an organizing system for my projects
3. Improve my physical health with meal plans and workout schedule
4. Schedule time for myself and for my family

Today I will show you the first step on my list: set up a desk to plan my life and future projects.

I have always been a very organized person and clutter frustrates me.   I had a very small secretary desk in my bedroom where I kept my planners and documents but it was getting too small for my needs.

So I decided to get a bigger desk and shelves (I am keeping the old one for storage and reading).  I made space in my living room and got a white desk from IKEA.  I added a drawer unit to store documents and stationery.  Two shelves were installed above the desk.

I gravitate toward pastel colors very much so it was a no brainer to decide on a color palette.  Most of my craft supplies are already in those colors; I didn’t have to buy too many new items.  

If you follow my instagram account, you will probably recognize some of the objects on my desk.

I decorated the shelves with watercolor paintings from the amazing artist @journalingafternoon on Instagram.

My desk does not take up much space but it adds so much functionality as well has joy to my life (what can I say, I love an organized space filled with pretty things).

Under the desk are drawers that I use for stationery which I divided into sections:

Stickers

Letter paper, envelopes, pencils

Washi Tapes

Small items

It took many days for me to complete this step. It was a tiring, time-consuming but a pleasant experience nonetheless because as I purged, cleaned and organized my desk, I was able to create a very practical and relaxed environment that will help me plan my life and future projects.

In my next blog entry, I will tell you more about the second step of my journey:  set up an organizing system.

I wish you all a very good summer! 

Much Love

Jane