I was planning to do an Early Autumn Memo for my re-entry into blogosphere, but it’s so warm in Brussels (up to 31 degrees expected in the coming week) that I cannot bring myself to talk about autumny stuff at the moment. Which is, in a way, good news, as I have quite a few things to share from this summer and as they aren’t necessarily summer-specific, they may still be of use to you. So I am going to get them off my chest in this post, leaving all the talk of chocolate-coloured suede and plush perfumes for the next memo.

The golden age of non-fiction. This has been a good reading summer for me – finishing 26 books in August was probably my all-time monthly record and I have just reached my 100-book Goodreads goal (which I keep setting, while telling myself that quantity doesn’t matter). I’ve been on a particularly good streak with non-fiction since spring and I feel that there is so much great quality stuff around these days that it’s hard to keep up. My absolute favourite has been Peter Frankopan’s The Earth Transformed, his 600+ page take on world history from the environmental angle. It is very ambitious, but also very impressive and highly recommended, if you are ready to commit. I will try to write a proper review of this one in the near future. I also thoroughly enjoyed Thomas Halliday’s Otherlands, an intelligent and vivid look at the extinct ecosystems of the earth. If you like animals, Ed Yong’s An Immense World is like a very good documentary about how animals perceive the world, but in book format. Somewhat lighter, but still very enjoyable were Jonathan Kennedy’s Pathogenesis (on the role of infectious diseases in history), Chris van Tulleken’s Ultra-Processed People (about processed food) and Johann Hari’s Stolen Hocus (about our inability to focus).

Women in Translation Month. I’ve participated in the WIT month consciously in the last 3-4 years and this August, managed to read 12 books that fit the theme. This is another topic I’d like to do a dedicated post on, after I have read a couple of things on my list that I had to push into September. But in case I do not get around to doing this, let me strongly recommend Nora Ikstena’s Soviet Milk, Krisztina Toth’s Pixel and Kristina Sabaliauskaite’s Peter’s Empress (not available in English, but translated into French). Annie Ernaux’s A Man’s Place, Yan Ge’s Strange Beasts of China and Rin Usami’s Idol, Burning were good, too.

Youtube darlings. Continuing with book-related topics, I have discovered a couple of new Booktubers I really love. Mara aka Bookslikewhoa reads very widely, everything from Agatha Christie to history of textiles to extra spicy alien romance (which I discovered thanks to her… I must tell you about it one day), and analyses it all very intelligently. Meanwhile, The Book Guy mostly covers fantasy (and a bit of SF), but is one of the loveliest, most considerate, absolutely delightful reviewers ever. He pays particular attention to representation and it is just so wonderful to see a white, hairy Australian guy do that. I am also going to mention Jen Campbell again, as her award vlogs, where she reads through entire longlists, are extremely helpful. For non-book stuff, I continue to enjoy The Financial Diet to encourage myself to be a financially responsible person and Mina Le for fascinating cultural commentary.

Glossier, still. This summer, I finally managed to visit the Glossier store in London. The hype around Glossier has died down since Peak Millennial Pink & Emily Weiss days of 2015 and the company has been through some tough times, but I have always loved some of their products and continue to do so. I stocked up on their Milky Jelly Cleanser that I adore and found a few new favourites: the much-loved Glossier You scent (very understated, very nice), Futuredew oil/serum (I feared it would leave me too greasy, but it works perfectly on me – oily skin may have more trouble) and the rich After Baume cream (usually not my kind of thing, but great when skin needs some extra TLC). The one underwhelming skincare item was the Cleanser Concentrate, which I found too foamy. On the makeup front, I got the Cloud Paint in Wisp, as I love the formula and do not have a similar shade of blush, and the Ultralip lipstick in Pony that I am obsessed with – it’s a very wearable browny-taupey shade.

Perfume spree. I bought more perfume than I usually do in summer, it really does go in waves. I replaced my empty bottle of Estee Lauder’s Bronze Goddess, because it’s a classic and I have to own it at all times. I got the abovementioned Glossier You that has been on my ‘to buy’ list for ages and I had to buy Jo Malone’s Melancholy Thistle from the Scottish Highland collection, partly because of the beautiful bottle. The biggest investment was Tom Ford’s Cherry Smoke that I have coveted for a while and finally caved. I do love this dark, woody cherry and am now looking for a fruity cherry scent for top-ups. Finally, while I didn’t buy it, I have a generous sample of Thomas de Monaco’s Eau Coeur (thank you, Kroonen & Brown!) – a gorgeous magnolia scent with deeper undercurrents. It is expensive, but I have a feeling I cannot resist it forever. I did in fact buy one more scent in August, but this has more of an autumn vibe and will be featured in the next memo.

Influenced. On the clothes front, I went full Instagrammer and got the lot – the maxi denim skirt, the Toteme tanks (in black AND white), the Adidas Sambas (white) AND Gazelles (grey), the Celine Triomphe 01 sunglasses. And I must admit I loved all these pieces and wore them on repeat, the Sambas and the tanks in particular. Towards the end of the summer, I also bought the Prada dad sandals that I know aren’t everyone’s cup of tea (or budget), but with my fucked-up knee, I wanted a flat, comfortable shoe that would at the same time add something to the outfits. I am very happy with them so far and especially like to wear them with cropped carrot-shaped jeans.

Riga. I spent most of my holidays in Estonia this year, but had a short weekend trip to Riga in the end of August with my daughter. I used to go there often for work and have missed it recently. The city was as beautiful as ever, with its Art Nouveau houses and grand boulevards. The art museum was fascinating, coffee at The Ned excellent and Grand Poet hotel really nice. If you haven’t been, I recommend going. And if you are stuck in Estonia, I suggest Viljandi and Maidla Nature Resort as places to visit. 

Is there anything fun/enlightening/insane you have experienced this summer and would like to share? Comments are open, as always.

(The cover image is of Gulf of Finland on my evening/night walk.)