The cozying-in content of films and series continues with vigor! A new British series hits our screens here in the States, a new French film starring a favorite and uber-talented American actress, cookbooks abound for eating well and enjoying doing so, accessories for stylish everyday attire, and many finds on sale. Books that have won awards this past year, others that are receiving high praise, and still more to provide inspiration for living well so that you can thrive and enjoy the length of your life and all that it can offer. Still, there is more.

Books

—All Fours: A Novel by Miranda July 

Since its release in May, Miranda July’s novel All Fours has been gathering up praise and awards. Telling the story of “a semi-famous artist who announces her plan to drive cross-country, from LA to NY, thirty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway and so begins her quest for a new kind of freedom. Part absurd entertainment, part tender reinvention of the sexual, romantic, and domestic life of a forty-five-year-old female artist, All Fours transcends expectation while excavating our beliefs about life lived as a woman.”

—Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program to Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better by Wendy Suzuki

While written 10 years ago, this is a book to read whatever the year we find ourselves. Wendy Suzuki, who is an award-winning university professor and world-renowned neuroscientist, drew inspiration from her own life and struggles, discovering and thankfully choosing to share in her book Healthy Brain, Happy Life “that there is a biological connection between exercise, mindfulness, and action. With exercise, your body feels more alive and your brain actually performs better.  Yes—you can make yourself smarter. In this fascinating book, Suzuki makes neuroscience easy to understand, interweaving her personal story with groundbreaking research, and offering practical, short exercises—4 minute Brain Hacks—to engage your mind and improve your memory, your ability to learn new skills, and function more efficiently.”

—Meet the Newmans: A Novel by Jennifer Niven

From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Niven, Meet the Newmans is a highly anticipated novel that tells the family story of the dual lives we live.

“For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America’s Favorite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now it’s 1964, and the Newmans’ idealized apple-pie perfection suddenly feels woefully out of touch. Ratings are in free fall, as are the Newmans themselves. Del is keeping an explosive secret from his wife, and Dinah is slowly going numb―literally. Steady, stable Guy is hiding the truth about his love life, and the charmed luck of rock ‘n roll idol Shep may have finally run out.”

—Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life by Agnes Callard

A New York Book Review’s Editor’s Choice, Open Socrates is a book to help us answer life’s most important questions. Upon learning about this book this past weekend, I immediately put it in my shopping cart and have preordered a copy. Having taught and worked with the Socratic Method for much of my teaching career, I am curious to discover Agnes Callard’s new insights. “Callard draws our attention to Socrates’ startling discovery that we don’t know how to ask ourselves the most important questions―about how we should live, and how we might change. Before a person even has a chance to reflect, their bodily desires or the forces of social conformity have already answered on their behalf. To ask the most important questions, we need help. Callard argues that the true ambition of the famous “Socratic method” is to reveal what one human being can be to another. You can use another person in many ways―for survival, for pleasure, for comfort―but you are engaging them to the fullest when you call on them to help answer your questions and challenge your answers.”

Callard shows that Socrates’ method allows us to make progress in thinking about how to manage romantic love, how to confront one’s own death, and how to approach politics. A wide swath of exploration, each topics worth knowing how to explore with a critical thinking mind.

—The Other Side of Change: Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans by Maya Shankar 

On Tuesday, January 13th, cognitive scientist Maya Shankar invites us to rethink our relationship with change altogether in her book The Other Side of Change. “When a big change happens to us, it can lead to profound change within us. The unique stresses and demands of being thrust into a new reality can lead us to uncover new abilities, perspectives, and values, transforming us in extraordinary ways. What if we saw moments of upheaval as an opportunity to reimagine who we can be, rather than as something to just endure? What potential could we unlock within ourselves?”

“Having spent decades studying the human mind, when an unwanted change in her own life left her reeling, she sought out people who had navigated major disruptions. In The Other Side of Change, Shankar tells their riveting, singular stories and weaves in scientific insights to illuminate universal lessons hidden within them. The result is a rich portrait of our complex reactions to change and a deep well of wisdom we can draw from during these experiences.”

British Finds

—Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, Netflix

An adaptation of Agatha Christie’s beguiling novel Seven Dials brings together a stellar cast and asks us to remember who dunnit! Helena Bonham-Carter, Martin Freeman, and Mia McKenna-Bruce star in this film adaptation. Set in 1925, a country house party prank turns deadly. Lady Eileen ‘Bundle’ Brent investigates the chilling murder plot. Lady Caterham and Superintendent Battle assist in solving the country house mystery that changes Bundle’s life. Have a look at the trailer below, and look for it to premiere on Netflix on Thursday, January 15th.

—Bookish, PBS Masterpiece

I have been eagerly anticipating this new series from Britain coming to PBS, and come Sunday, the wait will be over for Bookish! Set in post-war London, “Gabriel Book, a literary enthusiast and bookseller, combines his day job with his favorite hobby — helping solve knotty murder cases. Although happily married to his best friend, Trottie, Book is a gay man at a time when homosexuality was illegal. When a new assistant, Jack, arrives at the bookshop, it soon becomes clear his appointment wasn’t as random as it at first seems.” Enjoy six episodes during this first season. Already, TSLL readers who live in the UK have said they enjoy it, so I think we’re in for a treat.

—Miss Scarlet, season 6, PBS

While PBS Passport members have already had the chance since early December to view the entire new season, Miss Scarlet’s sixth season becomes available this Sunday, the 11th, to all viewers. Having watched the season, it is a strong one, and I think you will enjoy it. Have a look at the trial below.

—Riot Women, Britbox

Another series that, while it already aired in the UK, is now available to us here in the States. Streaming on January 14th on BritBox, Riot Women is a comedy centered around “a teacher, a police officer, a publican, a midwife, and a shoplifting freeloader: five menopausal women form a punk rock band to take part in a local talent contest, and suddenly find they have a lot more to shout about than they ever imagined.”

Cookbooks

—5-Ingredient Mediterranean Cookbook: Amazingly Healthy Quick-Fix Meals by Editors of the Harvard Common Press  

Just released, the 5-Ingredient Mediterranean Cookbook teaches us more about the Mediterranean Diet, the approach to eating that is repeatedly “the diet that doctors and nutritionists consistently recommend, year after year. “They like it because it provides nutritional completeness, reduces health risks, helps manage weight effectively over the long term, is easy to sustain, and is evidence-based.”

“What could be better than all that? How about delectable foods from some of the world’s tastiest cuisines—French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, and Middle Eastern, for starters? 5-Ingredient Mediterranean Cookbook makes it easy to embrace this unrivaled diet with 80 delicious throw-together recipes, each with a mouthwatering photograph.”

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—Cozy Vegan: 100 Delicious, Plant-Based Comfort Food Recipes by Liz Douglas

Just released on Tuesday, Cozy Vegan “is the ultimate cookbook for anyone wanting to explore a plant-based lifestyle, feel incredible, and not sacrifice the delicious foods they love. This book is filled with colorful, balanced meals and vegan twists on your favorite comfort foods, showing you just how quick and easy cooking vegan comfort food can be. Author Liz Douglas, a.k.a. @GlowDiaries___ offers 100 deliciously decadent recipes and cooking tips that make it easier than ever to live a wholesome, plant-based lifestyle.”

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—Eat Yourself Healthy: Food to Change Your Life [American Measurements] by Jamie Oliver

One more cookbook to help kick off the new year deliciously and with the intention to eat well for our mind and body, British chef Jamie Oliver’s Eat Yourself Healthy is his response “to the changing food environment and industry that is working against us. Jamie puts to use his nutrition diploma and chef experience to help us wrestle back control and build a celebratory relationship with good food, embracing its power to make us healthier and happier.

“In Eat Yourself Healthy, he’s back with 120 incredible recipes sure to energize, satisfy, and nourish. Jamie proves that healthy eating can be joyful, generous and abundant–this is all about what you can have, not what you can’t. Teamed with 50 helpful healthy hacks and a nutrition-packed 2-week meal plan to kickstart your health journey, it’s never been easier to make choices that support your wellbeing.”

Films

—Father Mother Sister Brother

This cast looks to provide quite a bit of hilarity. In Father Mother Sister Brother, “estranged siblings reunite after years apart, forced to confront unresolved tensions and reevaluate their strained relationships with their emotionally distant parents. Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Tom Waits, and Cate Blanchett star, and the film premieres today in theaters. Have a look at the trailer below.

Francophile Finds

—La Vie Privée (aka A Private Life)

Yet another item in today’s list that I have been patiently and eagerly waiting for, Jodie Foster in La Vie Privée, although here in the States you will see it as A Private Life (the film is in French and set in Paris). When Foster’s character learns about a client’s death, as a psychologist, she begins to explore what really happened. Believed initially to be a suicide, she reexamines her approach to counseling him, and we quickly discover that she is far from an ideal or competent therapist. Along the way, her character rekindles a romance with her ex-husband, and life continues to reveal its complexities. Have a look at the trailer below and look for it in theaters today.

—Manet & Morisot by Emily A. Beeny 

If you are curious about the world of the Impressionists and the many other artists who made a name for themselves in Paris during this time, the names Berthe Morisot and Édouard Manet are undoubtedly recognizable and often mentioned in the same breath. Published. in association with the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco, Manet & Morisot “explores pairs and groups of related works, revealing that, while Morisot looked to Manet for inspiration during her early career, as Morisot’s work became more daring and garnered widespread acclaim, Manet began to follow her example, emulating her choice of subjects, her high-keyed colors, even her rapid, fluttering brushstrokes. Illustrated essays and entries challenge gendered perspectives in the Manet literature, while correspondence and a technical study invite readers into the two artists’ shared social circle and contrasting studio practices.”

Shopping

—A.L.C. Milo Woven Clutch, on sale 60% off

Available at a great price, a versatile clutch that would work with many different outfits with its multi-color and neutral color palette.

—Insérif Lizard texture snap-on case (personalized), many colors

Looking for an upgrade for your phone case? Add a touch of traditional and signature with these lizard textured snap-on cases and add a personal touch to your everyday accessories.

—LK Bennett’s Archive Sale

—Oscar de la Renta printed silk-twill scarf, 55% off

—Vince’s Oasis Suede & Leather Runner Sneaker

Television

—83rd Golden Globes Awards, CBS

Let the award season begin! Well, actually, they began with the Critics’ Choice Awards last weekend, but I guess you could say they continue on with force! Look to the Golden Globes airing this Sunday at 8pm Pacific on CBS to see what and who will be top contenders for the Academy Awards.

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Snow fell in beautiful wintery wonderland fashion over the mountain this past week, and Nelle and I found ourselves driving through it. Yikes, and Wow! Needless to say, I wish I could have stopped and taken it all in, but I wanted to get us home safely, and we did, but oh, was it gorgeous! We may not have much here on the ground in Bend (okay, really, none), but the mountains are finally receiving some significant good news with our recent weather pattern of snowfall.

This week the cover for TSLL’s 4th book was finalized, so I can confidently say that I will be sharing it for the first time with February’s A Cuppa Moments! Shortly thereafter, I will send all the details to everyone later in February (newsletter subscribers and here on the blog), complete with publication date, book focus, etc. And speaking of A Cuppa Moments, I look forward to joining the conversation of January’s gathering as so much has been shared, and I want to thank all of the members who chose to share, engaging with one another and reading through and discovering how amazing and diverse our community is when it comes to approaches and life experiences, yet still embracing similar ethos of curiosity, shedding of limitations and seeking fulfillment while enjoying their everydays as they journey forward.

I hope this first full week of January found you well and with an open mind for the possibility of what 2026 could be. This weekend, I look forward to sitting down and planning out my garden tasks for the upcoming growing season and making purchases of seeds for sowing in the spring. May your weekend ahead be full of moments slowing down and remembering what this time of year gives us – a time to rest, rejuvenate, and be still. Until Sunday, bonne journée.

~Home Tour of the Week! The herringbone flooring in this Georgian house caught my eye, and the house happened to be the most popular house in 2025 for House & Garden UK.

~This delightfully dreamy English cottage set in the rural countryside found in Syde, Cheltenham, is for sale.

~A thought provoking article on the idea of binning the bucket list [FT.com gift link]

~A New Year action plan for gardeners! From Gardeners’ World.

~5 New Year’s Resolutions for Highly Sensitive People [Highly Sensitive Refuge]

~Perhaps you have already enjoyed perusing the books on display and for sale along the Seine while you visited Paris. Explore how this 475-year-old book market in the center of Paris is surviving in a digital world [CNN]

~A conversation about toned arms for women – I enjoyed reading this one. [FT.com, gift link]

~Planning on visiting Provence? Save this post from Sharon Santoni who shares a generous list of places to stay.

~Or maybe Britain is on your upcoming travel itinerary? (They fly to France as well!). Be sure to check out the British Airways New Year Sale! It runs until January 22nd.

~Jodie Foster, while on the rounds to promote her new film La Vie Privée, had a fun interview with Stephen Colbert and shared what’s different about filming in France.

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~Explore last week’s edition of This & That, January 2nd:

~Please note: TSLL is supported by you, readers who take the time to stop by (merci!), peruse, and sometimes welcome into your life the mentioned and recommended finds. Affiliate links are present in this post and may earn commissions for TSLL when you make a purchase. View TSLL’s full Privacy Policy here.