Books, TV, and Shopping

Oh dearest Blog, I feel like I have abandoned you!  And it didn't take long either-I just started blogging in January.  I will try to be better.

I have been going into winter hibernation/introversion mode lately.  I have been doing a lot of reading, watching TV and movies, and shopping.  There is nothing wrong with that-I  enjoy these activities-but I will be doing more social things in the next month, so there will be more fun things to document.

But for the sake of trying to write about "mi vida loca",  I will quickly run through some of my favorite reading, watching and sartorial finds from the past month.

Books

I absolutely love historical fiction, especially material that is set in the early 20th century.  A few months ago, I picked up Rules of Civility by Amor Towles.  I just saw the cover and was hooked right away.

How chic and decadent does the woman look?  The book is about a young woman trying to make it in Depression-era New York, and let's just say that I read for 24 hours straight, and even missed a party so that I didn't have to interrupt my reading.



I also picked up the Paris Wife by Paula McLain because of the cover art - it depicts an elegant lady in a Parisian cafe. 

This book actually has a historical basis-it portrays the relationship between Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley.  They lived in Paris during the Roaring Twenties, and hobnobbed with the famous literati of that time period, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ezra Pound.  And even though I could never really get into Ernest Hemingway's writing, this feminine and romantic book about his wife was just lovely.

TV

On a totally different note, I have always enjoyed shows and movies about the military and war.  I found The Carrier on Hulu quite recently.  It is a reality show that is set on the USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier in the US Navy.  I believe it was taped sometime during the Iraq War.  The show depicts life of the 5,000 or so people that spend about 6 months living and working on this boat.  I find this absolutely fascinating to watch, especially the lives of the thousand or so enlisted men and women who do difficult and menial labor aboard this ship.  It really puts into perspective how much the men and women in the military sacrifice when they sign up to do their service.

Shopping

It is no secret that I love to shop!  It isn't my fault.  My great-grand father was a tailor; my grandmother loved "smootkas", my mom is a clotheshorse, and now, so am I. For the better part of December and January I was on a hunt of a black purse, and I finally found this Z Spoke satchel on sale at NM Last Call.  Granted, I spent too much money, but it makes me so happy.  I love the gold nuts-and-bolts details!

Now, I am on a mission to add some "Spring" into my wardrobe.  Out with the black and in with some lighter and happier shades.  I have been loving the denim shirt trend, and just ordered my second one, with lovely studs on the shoulders, today.