Monday Musings – Second Time Around

Happy Monday ladies. I am smack dab in the middle of my second two weeks of quarantine:) I finished the first with my daughter last month and I’m now doing it with my husband. The air quality was so bad back at home, I spent weeks trying to convince him to join me here in Vancouver. He finally decided to come up just in time for the smoke to blow in from Oregon and Washington state causing the worst air quality Vancouver has ever seen! Can I hear it for Murphies Law? We’ve rented a little condo in downtown Vancouver with lovely views out over Englishmans Bay, that we can finally see because the smoke has cleared.

So besides freedom, here are a few things on my mind this week:

Slippersslippers on balcony

Yup, I have had slippers on my mind before but I forgot to pack mine. Seriously, what was I thinking because now that I’m in quarantine again, I’m wearing them ALL the time. No quick trip to the backyard to pick tomatoes. No quick trip anywhere so I am living in them. I popped into Winners after the last quarantine and picked up these which are really cozy. I know the holidays are coming and I’ll need a fresh pair by then so I’m pursuing ones online.

 

Cashmere

I was in some strange brain fog when I packed for this trip because I only brought clothes for warm summer days. The weather is changing to fall here so I had my husband bring an extra bag with some cozier things for me. The first thing I put on was a cashmere sweater. He brought my four Everlane sweaters which I was thrilled to get. Until I put this one on and found a tiny moth hole in the sleeve! That means the little suckers are inside my armoire at home where I keep ALL my cashmere and feasting themselves into bloated cashmere coma’s! Argh!!

fashion blogger jennifer connolly wearing everlane cashmere sweater
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IĀ  always clean my sweaters before I store them for the summer so this is a very unhappy surprise. Because I hate the smell of mothballs, I use cedar boards and lavender inside my antique armoire, but apparently, it’s not enough. I fully intend to mend this tiny hole, but moths are nasty little stinkers and I know they’ll get to it again one day so I ordered a replacement.

Flannel

fashion blogger jennifer connolly wearing rails plaid flannel shirt
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I never thought of myself as the plaid flannel type of dresser until I bought this one several years ago. It gets softer with each washing and is so comfy.Ā  I wore it the last weekend we were over on Vancouver Island and it was a perfect weight. I love the color and its relaxed vibe is perfect for weekends so I have my eye out for other pretty colors.

Rules Of Civility

rules of civility book
RULES OF CIVILITY

I’m bored with everything I’m trying to read these days. I keep picking things up and three pages later, I put them down. They may be great books, but I’m not feeling the love. Until my husband showed up with my dog eared copy of Rules of Civility. I love this book so much I’ve already read it twice! Since he finished it on the plane, I started it again. I wonder how many times you can reread the same novel and enjoy it. I’m going to find out.

What books have you read multiple times?

Have a great week ladies and remember to wear what makes you feel confident and fabulous!

 

55 Comments

  1. Carolyn Woods says:

    Beartown by Fredrik Backman
    I loved it the first time I read it and even more the second time. My book club loved it, too!

    1. That is my book club pick for October. Iā€™m not a big hockey fan but loved the well rounded characters.

  2. I’m with Stormy Smith when it comes to old books being friends. I read Jane Eyre quite often and always find something new to think about.. On the subject of slippers, I love my UGGS.

  3. I just reread David Sedaris’ Theft by Finding and never stopped laughing. Great medicine for the ailment that is 2020.

    Lands End has women’s flannel shirts in 15 colors on sale for under $36, and that’s just one of the flannel styles they offer.

  4. After a number of intense reads with my book club we decided on a light read this month. The Grace Kelly Dress by Brenda Janowitz is a story I think you will like. It came highly recommended by some of my east coast library colleagues . Months ago I found I could not put down Hollywood Park by Michel Jollet.

    1. They sound great! I have The Grace Kelly Dress on kindle but haven’t read it yet. I prefer to actually hold a book and bought the kindle version by accident. I should make myself give it a try.

  5. The smoke cleared out here in Calgary on Sunday as well thankfully! Vancouver looks so good in the sun, as it does where we used to live – White Rock!

    Havenā€™t read as much as I thought I would during these times have a stack gathering dust. I have been reading a chapter a night to my 5 1/2 yr old grandson over FaceTime since March, weā€™ve gone through Tomā€™s Midnight Garden, Baby Island, The Secret Garden, Harry Potter #1 and just finishing up Harry Potter #2. It has been a trip down memory lane rereading those classics and the Potter Series which my kids read.

    Those slippers look so cozy I must check them out! Hope you and your husband have an enjoyable time!

    1. What a wonderful idea to read over Facetime!! Thanks, Carrie

  6. Sorry to hear you’re in quarantine again, but glad you and your husband are together.
    I think I recommended this before, but I hope you take up Louise Penny’s series with Inspector Gamache. Her characters are so well developed, and you should start with the first one and work your way through. Most of the stories revolve around a small village near Montreal that sounds charming, but also the plots are about crimes/murders, so a lot of intrigue, but also personal relationships with family and friends. Her latest book is on the top of the book lists, and having just read it, it is one of her best. I rarely re-read books, but I have just started the third go-around of her series!
    Happy reading!

    1. Love Louise Penny. I have read every single one, including the latest. Another favorite mystery writer of mine is Camilla Lackberg from Sweden. Methotrexate not the dark Nordic Noir.

  7. For some reason I am always happy when someone finds her right color palette… and Iā€™m tickled that you have found your cool brights. They just light you up. The blue plaid color is perfect for you, & even tho you are petite you carry the plaid scale well. (It would swallow me. ) Iā€™m learning that bone structure/scale is very important in dressing. Another fascinating aspect to consider.
    Iā€™m looking forward to following your shopping choices now that you are ā€œcolor secureā€. !

    How on earth do moths, the little monsters, manage to find the cashmere?
    Iā€™ve taken to wrapping my sweaters in layers of tissue with cedar blocks and sealing in zipped plastic bags.

    Rereading books… old classics always. Jane Eyre is beautifully written and a favorite. I have an 1849 copy that I love not just for its timeless love story, but the antique cover just delights me. .
    I still love rereading all LM Montgomery books. Most of mine are worn and falling apart. So well loved.
    I reread many non fiction too. ā€œ Quietā€. And ā€œThe Highly Sensitive Personā€ help keep me sane. I especially like retreading my non fictions in which I have written in margins and dated. Interesting to see how my perspective has changed.

    Enjoy being with your family.

  8. Rosemarie says:

    Word Vancouver is on now – you can sign up online to hear author’s interviews. Can check out Vancouver Writer’s Festival and Whistler’s Writers Festival for book recommendations also author interviews.

    I’m enjoying Indians on Vacation by Thomas King. Couple are in Europe retracing an uncle’s steps by the postcards he sent nearly a 100 years ago. I enjoy the subtle humour.

    I really enjoyed White Chrysantheum, Mary Lynn Bracht. It is a haunting story based on Korean women who were abducted and forced to be comfort woman for the Japanese Army in the 1940s.

  9. Pamela Over 50 Feeling 40 says:

    You look so good in blue…love the plaid! I also am glad that your husband joined you…and I hope the quarantine is just a memory very soon!

  10. So glad you’re with your hubby…..I’m sure he is too. I just received a pair of slippers from Therafit. I had read about them and they sounded great…good support, etc. They are Heather indoor/outdoor clog and just arrived today so I am anxious to start wearing them. I won’t wear them outdoors….happy to have a good shoe for indoors. Stay safe, enjoy your condo with hubby.

  11. I love my Ugg slippers. “Jane Eyre” is one of the books I read over and over again. Stormy Smith is correct, old books are like old friends you want to visit quite often.

  12. Rhonda Ragain says:

    Jennifer, so happy you are reunited with your husband again, too bad you are quarantined again! I so love your Everlane V neck sweater! It is gorgeous on you and I have placed an order for the exact same one! I am so envious that I do not have anyone to be in quarantine with, as my husband passed over 20 years ago! Thank goodness for wonderful friends and neighbors! You look absolutely beautiful in your picture and the view is gorgeous!

  13. A Gentleman in Moscow is a must….but during the pandemic I’ve been bingeing on Martin Walker’s Bruno series. It features a wonderful cast of characters surrounding Bruno, the Chief of Police in a small town in Southwest France. Every book contains a mystery and usually a murder, but the whole atmosphere is interesting. Food and wine are featured and it is just a respite from real life.

    1. That is my FAVORITE book for all time!!!! I fell in love with the main character. Such a gentleman!!

  14. Almost all the books that your followers have loved are books that I love! Do we just all have the same taste including your blog? Another author I have found recently is David Joy. His books are violent at times but what a great storyteller!

  15. We had blue skies yesterday. What a pleasure it was to know the smoke had gone and to see the sun. I hope the air has cleared on the mainland too.

    Quarantining again! Yikes! You will need some good reads to pass the time. How about Scrabble? You can download the app and play anytime with anyone. Weā€™ve been playing with our daughter in Ottawa. Itā€™s fun, interactive, and youā€™re using your brain.

  16. I am enjoying Peter Mayle books right now. I love his writing style and revisiting places in Provence through them that we visited with friends about six years ago. His mysteries are a bit fluffy but are filled with wine, food and interesting characters and places.

  17. retro-roost says:

    Speaking of slippers, I have found comfortable artist-made felt slippers on ETSY. I’ve purchased from a few different artists, and all have been wonderful. I highly recommend them!

  18. Canadian Elizabeth says:

    So glad your husband is with you in Vancouver. Would you ever move back to Canada?
    A book I reread every year is Dava Sobelā€™s Galileoā€™s Daughter.
    Since Covid, lockdowns, etc, Iā€™ve been reading through Dr Patrick Taylorā€™s Irish Doctor series. Itā€™s a fictional story of an Irish Doctor in a small N Ireland village filled with memorable characters. Iā€™ve travelled extensively throughout Ireland, so these books bring back so many memories as well as offering detailed descriptions like a travelogue. There are recipes by the good Drā€™s housekeeper at the end of each book, as well as a glossary of Irish words & phrases. This series will make you laugh and cry. And, the author now lives on Salt Spring Island BC – just a short hop by seaplane or ferry from Vancouver.

    1. Canadian Elizabeth says:

      Just finished newly published Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes by Shirleyan English & Bonnie Sitter. Itā€™s a collection of letters written by teen girls and their older selves ( now in their ā€˜90ā€™s ) who worked on farms in Ontario, Canada, during WW 2. Amazing true stories filled with photos that I couldnā€™t put down!

    2. Absolutely love all of the Irish Country Doctor series!

  19. I love my cashmere sweater too!

  20. Jennifer, so glad to hear you are still safe in Vancouver. I was afraid you or one of your relatives had gotten sick. Glad your husband could join you too.

    You must read The Gentleman from Moscow if you like Rules of Civility. Also, have you read The Dutch House? I really liked it because I am a huge Ann Patchett fan – have read all of her books. Take care and happy reading!

    1. DiannešŸ‡ØšŸ‡¦ says:

      I also loved The Dutch House….. especially since I read it via audible .Tom Hanks was the reader!

      1. Ma, too! The audio version was awesome!!

  21. Lorna Landvikā€™s books, including Confessions of a Radical Hag and Angry Housewives. Loved both

  22. Marcie Lynn says:

    I agree 100% with Gentleman in Moscow (Towles). Other favorites are Deacon King Kong (McBride), News of the World (Jiles), Cakes and Ale (Maugham) and Possession (Byatt).

  23. Kathleen Ayers says:

    I haven’t been to Vancouver in many years, and now I want to visit again! I have reread Jane Austen’s novels many times, with my favorite being Pride and Prejudice. I was in a Jane Austen book group last year, and someone asked me why I have read her novels so many times. After thinking about it, I realized that it’s because all her characters get what they deserve.

  24. Francesca B. says:

    That view reminds me so much of Vancouver! How lovely you are are both together, order in some Chinese and enjoy the scenery. We used to rent bikes and go on the cycle path around the city and stop off at the Science Museum.
    I re- read Ian Rankin’s Detective Rebus series and Le Carre novels often. Enjoy!

  25. I love your flannel shirt. I have a blue one like that and wear it at the first sign of cold weather. I think it’s 3 years old and just gets better. It’s something so comforting about flannel. I am reading cozy mysteries, cookbooks and starting a Henry James book, The Bostonians” today. I will check out these mentioned.

    1. Don’t read the Henry James book. It’s boring and political. I thought it would be funny. It isn’t. Some classics just don’t live up to the hype.

  26. Luckily you are not locked up in quarantine here in Australia, where, unless you are the likes of Nicole Kidman and Tom Hanks (who are swanning around luxurious resorts under quarantine) you are locked up in a hotel for two weeks and closely monitored by the police, defence personnel and or the police. There are two books I have re read several times. Primo Levi’s, ‘the Drowned and the Saved’ and ‘Shosha’ by Isaac Bashevis Singer. If I need a laugh, it is Evelyn Waugh’s, ‘Scoop’. The two weeks will fly by.

  27. Hilary Sunderland says:

    I loved A Gentleman in Moscow so much. Do read it if you havenā€™t. And if you like mysteries, Louise Pennyā€™s Inspector Gamache series is brilliant.

    Several weeks ago you recommended a body lotion. I canā€™t find the post. Would you remind me what it was please. Thanks.

    1. A huge ditto for Inspector Gamache novels. Iā€™ve spent the last few months reading all of them – each one better than the last!

  28. Stormy Smith says:

    I often reread favorite novels, I consider them old friends. I agree with Linda Henderson, I enjoyed Rules of Civility, but loved A Gentleman in Moscow. And if you havenā€™t read All the Light We Cannot See, I also highly recommend it.
    Happy to hear your husband is safely with you. These are crazy times.

  29. Linda Henderson says:

    You have a lovely view. Enjoy your stay. And on the subject of slippers (i call them house shoes) they are my go-to comfort shoes around the house. I like the ones you are wearing. I am thinking Christmas present.
    I liked Amor Towles Rules of Civility but I liked A Gentleman in Moscow even more. Have you read it?

  30. Glad you are with your hubby again. I so enjoy your cheerful attitude each day.
    Read! All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr…it is amazing and inspiring and a thriller all in one!

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