Monday Mood: Some Seasonal Cheer.

 Listen, this is a hard time of year made even harder under a pandemic but I'm doing my very best to appreciate what I can about the season even if it's a fake-it-til-you-make-it situation. Whatever works! Today I'm going to talk about a few things we've been enjoying lately, the first one from Marianne: 

This Despair-Reducing Light Marianne Recommends.

I have toyed with the idea of buying some kind of SAD light for years now, but turns out the combination of less sunlight, never leaving the house, and COVID was the thing that tipped me over. After doing a cursory amount of research I landed on this light by Verilux. It’s small (between a Kindle and iPad), bright af, and I think has decreased my despair by 10%. Yay?

This Weird Swan Book That Stuck With Me. 
I've been trying to read a lot of easy, cozy stories of late but I've completely run out of Jenny Colgan options so I blindly chose a library book online that sounded vaguely promising (or completely terrible): Laura is startled when a handsome swan boy with only one wing lands on her roof.  I know! A Wild Winter Swan It's a coming of age story set in 1960s New York at Christmas time and I do love a bit of modern day fairytale. AIt's written by Gregory Maguire who wrote Wicked, so you're in good hands. It's not a super happy story (fairy tales rarely are) but it does have a satisfying ending, is dryly funny in parts, and also just beautifully written. Give it a try. 

PS. If this doesn't sound like your thing, or even if it does, Marianne recommends The Twelve Dates of Christmas which sounds exactly like the kind of cozy small British town Christmas romance novel we both enjoy. (I have purchased it but haven't read it yet!) 

This Podcast I Keep Banging On About.
When I've had too much of the real world and just want to listen to a cozy, intelligent conversation, I turn to the Penguin Podcast. It's just delightful - both the guests and the hosts! It's also very British so I'm not always familiar with either one. This recent episode was a lovely surprise: Dolly Alderton (author, journalist and co-host of The High Low podcast) chats to Sue Perkins (From The Great British Bake Off!) about her first novel, Ghosts! I am still waiting for Ghosts to be released in a Kindle version but it sounds like exactly my kind of thing. Their conversation revolved around that time in your 30s when your friendships start changing and I related to it a lot. Anyway, it's a good one. 

This Candle That Is A Departure.
I love a fancy candle but they can be ridiculously expensive, so when Marianne suggested Bath & Body Works three wick candles I was very sure they'd not be for me but I was willing to give it a shot. I bought Sweater Weather  (sage, juniper berry, eucalyptus, fresh woods) which is very popular, apparently, because it's completely sold out. Ugh. It's a good cosy scent that's not super sweet or spiced, just very natural and perfect for cool weather. It is available on Amazon but B&BW does restock and they run good sales, so I wouldn't pay full price. Also, it's seasonal but not particularly Christmasy, so if you want a truly seasonal candle, I'm still gonna recommend Illume Balsam & Cedar, my #1 favorite.