I Tried All the Le Labo City Exclusives in Case You Cannot: Part 1
I’ve always had conflicting feelings about Le Labo. I really like some of their scents and their aesthetic was truly refreshing when the brand launched. Their gimmicky ways can be irritating, though. I understand that insisting on ‘fresh’ mixing of the perfumes and the confusing naming practices are a marketing strategy (and a pretty successful one, I guess), but I find it annoying. The whole song and dance about their city exclusives is the most ridiculous part of it all in my view.
Three Weeks in the US Part 1: San Francisco
I feel that for a stereotypical Estonian, San Francisco is a great point of entry to the US. It is damp and chilly, not too big and not too strange. There are some palm trees, but they seem more like a decoration than a fundamental feature of the place*. And I feel confident that even Estonians can handle a limited number of exotic trees in otherwise familiar surroundings**.
Three Weeks in the US: An Introduction
After the pandemic, we decided with the family (the family in question being me, my long-time partner J and our daughter L who is 15) to try and undertake one longer trip together every year. Last spring, we did Japan and this August, we went to the US. I confess that the States aren’t necessary my dream destination, but L wanted to go, J wanted to see the Grand Canyon and I had only been across the Atlantic for work, so a decision was made.
In Honour of the Hero Piece
A couple of days ago, I was wearing this Sister Jane skirt that I have had for almost ten years and I received a compliment from a stranger. In fact, I receive a compliment almost every single time I wear this item of clothing. I am not saying this to brag about the number of compliments I get, but to make a point about a certain kind of piece. Let’s call it The (unlikely) Hero Piece.
Best of 2023: Fiction & Poetry
Posting my previous year’s favourite books in March must be some kind of a record. But as I shared my absolute faves already, doing the follow-ups by genre seemed less urgent. And then suddenly I was about three months late. Anyway, I have found these summaries very helpful for myself, when people ask for book recommendations or when I need to recall my favourites for any other reason. So I am doing this despite the ridiculousness of the timing.
9 Ukrainian Fashion Brands to Know
Instead of writing this, I should be finalising my 2023 best-of lists for fiction and non-fiction, but have run out of energy – since December, I have been obsessively reading all the 2023 lists in the world, then putting together my own versions, then plotting my 2024 TBR and going over all the ‘most anticipated’ lists, so I just cannot face another book-themed list at the moment. I will get over it, but until then, let’s take a quick detour and talk about Ukrainian fashion.
Best of 2023: Science Fiction and Fantasy
2023 was a very enjoyable SFF reading year to me, with almost exactly half of the 166 books I read being either science fiction or fantasy or both. And most of them were good. That said, compared to previous years, I didn’t find any new favourites of the same caliber as The Broken Earth Trilogy or Arkady Martine’s Teixcalaan books. There are also some strange absences: I started two of the Sanderson secret projects, but didn’t finish them, despite liking both Tress of the Emerald Sea and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. I also didn’t read the latest Murderbot, as I was advised to do a Network Effect reread before I tackle System Collapse*. All three are very much on the top of my list for this year.**
Quiet Luxury My Ass
If you followed any style conversations in 2023, you know it has all been about quiet luxury and old money. So I am months if not years late with this post and you may be sick and tired of reading about it, but this topic still triggers me. And it’s my blog, so here we go.
Best Books of 2023
2023 was a somewhat strange reading year for me – definitely not bad, with 166 books* finished, about 40 000 pages read and some branching out in terms of genre accomplished. But while I read many good books last year, there were perhaps fewer absolute highs than I have had in the past. I was also rather inconsistent: August and December were great with 26 and 23 books respectively (these tend to be my best months every year, simply because I have more free time due to holidays). And then there were weeks when I read only alien romance, as my brain was too exhausted from the translation work I was doing on top of my actual work to focus on anything more demanding.
New Year, New Shapes
I have written before how the start of a new year doesn’t necessarily create a strong sense of a new beginning in me, I tend to feel that way in September, when returning to work after summer. It is certainly the case this year, as I am recovering from a meniscus operation, so the holidays have been quiet and two days after 2024 started, it doesn’t really feel like I’ve entered a new epoch.