Oodles of books this week on a wonderfully vast collection of topics – primetime (midlife awesomeness, that is), Elizabeth II’s wardrobe, unrequited love and art, a trip to Italy, designing your next life chapter, decorating the home you live in now even if it won’t be yours forever, and that is just a few of the subjects! Also, a new British comedy starring a favorite Brit actress (The Split fans, you are going to be thrilled I have a feeling!), soccer football stories and events are included, two French series return, summer clothing to scoop up on sale and much more!

More to come soon! Learn more about all of the current membership offerings here, and remember if you already are a member, simply visit the Dashboard (by clicking ‘Account’ in the upper left-hand corner of the blog), click the ‘Subscription/Membership’ tab, and in the right-column of your Active membership, click “Change” to choose the new membership schedule or tier you prefer.

Books

—Contrapposto: A Novel by Dave Eggers

Contrapposto is a story told through the lifelong friendship of Cricket Dib, born on the American prairie. A young boy who has no particular prospects or ambitions until, in grade school, he realizes he can draw. He soon meets a girl, Olympia Argyros, one year older, who is captivating and brilliant and far more worldly. Described as “a moving and very funny novel about allies and art, and what it means to be an artist. All through their lives, Cricket sees Olympia as his soulmate and destiny, and while she is always his champion, romantically her eyes are always seeking something—and someone—else. Their love changes over the decades, but their commitment to each other, and their search for meaning in the making of art, never wanes. The novel spans the globe, from New York to Thailand, Indiana to Paris, and follows Cricket and Olympia through sickness and health, war and death.”

Being released this coming Tuesday from the award-winning, bestselling author of The Circle, A Hologram for the King, and The Eyes & the Impossible.

—Design Your Fabulous Next Chapter: 7 Steps to a Life with More Joy and Fulfillment by Sharri Harmel

Well, I am VERY late to the party on this one because one of our long-time members and a truly sweet and kind human being, Sharri Harmel, who spends a lot of time in France, and exemplifies reinventing your life and chasing your dreams, wrote a book (published in January 2025), and I would love to introduce it to you here (if you haven’t read it already as a I know many have! Lucy, thank you for bringing it to my attention.)

“After navigating her own life transitions-including career changes, divorce, and personal reinvention-Sharri shares candid stories, practical exercises, and life-changing insights designed to help you: 

• Reconnect with Your Dreams-Unearth the passions and goals that have been buried under years of responsibilities and routines.
• Close the Gap Between Where You Are and Where You Want to Be-Identify habits that are holding you back and replace them with actions that serve your next chapter.
• Create a Concrete Plan for Your Future-Move beyond wishful thinking with a step-by-step approach to designing a life you truly love.
• Overcome Fear and Strengthen Your Courage-Build the confidence to embrace new challenges and pursue the dreams you’ve always longed for.”

Congratulations Sharri and I look forward to read it!

—Home for Now: Living Well Without Staying Long by Earl of East

Before we have our forever home, and even that term may never fully describe any home we call our sanctuary, as life is forever changing, dreams are being chased, and life evolves, we have our home for now. In just such titled book, discover “how limits inspire ingenuity: spaces that feel personal, layered, and alive with ritual. Blending essays, photography, and ideas for everyday life, the book is a portrait of adaptability and the art of making space—wherever you are, and however long you stay.”

Released just this past May, it looks to be full of both visual and detailed ideas of inspiration to ensure where you live now indeed becomes your sanctuary.

—Primetime: A New Vision for Midlife by Margie Lachman

Being released on June 9th, a professor of psychology at Brandeis University and the director of the Lifespan Lab, Dr. Lachman has spent thirty years studying midlife from a lifespan developmental perspective. In her new book, Primetime: A New Vision for Midlife, she shares how “her research reveals the myth of the midlife ‘crisis’, and other misconceptions such as people in their middle years can’t change and that it is the unhappiest time of life. In reality, only a small percentage of people report experiencing a midlife crisis; personality can change during midlife, and many people have a higher sense of well-being and control. It is a time when most are still healthy, highly functioning, mentoring those younger, and caring for those older, combined with increased knowledge and experience, and stronger emotion regulation.

She also shares how “midlife is a critical time in the life cycle with high generativity and peak responsibility, as well as when we make choices that can impact our later years. With a focus on debunking myths, navigating changes, and planning for the future, she guides readers through making sense of the past and imagining future possibilities. She also covers the physical, psychological, cognitive, and social changes that accompany the middle years and illuminates the potential to harness a sense of control in the face of the challenges, constraints, and transitions.”

My copy is ordered, and I look forward to diving in next week. Perhaps a podcast episode will be inspired!

—Villa Coco: A Novel by Andrew Sean Greer 

Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less, Andrew Sean Greer’s new book looks to be both a beautiful read as it sweeps us away to Italy, but also an inspiring one. Villa Coco, already a highly anticipated novel by critics for 2026, we have the two leads of the novel: An aspiring archivist determined to begin a “serious” life after an undistinguished undergraduate career takes up residence in the Italian countryside. Here, he becomes the all-purpose assistant to the Baronessa, known to her friends as Coco, a defiantly youthful and naturally flamboyant woman of ninety-two. While the narrator, the aspiring archivist, stumbles into an affair with a married man, which complicates his future plans, it is when “the Baronessa loses someone close to her, he becomes an unwitting accomplice in the acceleration of Coco’s great and final plan: to locate the love of her life and be reunited before it’s too late.”

—The Wealth of Intention: Slower. Wiser. Richer. Fortune Beyond Finance by Derek Henderson

The cross-over content of this book piqued my curiosity, so I wanted to bring it to your attention. Author Derek Henderson writes at the intersection of finance and philosophy. “A Canadian Portfolio Manager and Family Enterprise Advisor, he has spent decades inside wealth management, where the conversations that mattered most rarely began with markets. They began with the questions that never appear on a balance sheet or bank account: What does it mean to live a wealthy life?“

“Across twenty chapters and five interconnected parts — Reflections, Resources, Rivers, Rhythms, and Return— Henderson invites readers to examine the illusions they have inherited, reclaim the resources they have undervalued, and return to a slower, wiser, richer way of living.”

Inside, you’ll discover:

• Why more so often comes at the cost of meaning
• How to allocate time, energy, and attention with the same discipline you allocate capital
• Why intention is the one input that compounds across every part of a life
• How philosophy, behavioral finance, and lived experience can reshape your definition of fortune
• Why discipline, simplicity, consistency, and patience are life rhythms, not just financial virtues
• How to return to alignment without burning down everything you have built

—Yuppies: The Bankers, Lawyers, Joggers, and Gourmands Who Conquered New York by Dylan Gottlieb

If you’re looking to learn a bit about modern New York City history and have ever wondered where the term “Yuppies” originated, here is the book to explain it all. Yuppies may have been a classic 1980s stereotype, and in Dylan Gottlieb’s new book, discover “how the rise of Wall Street in the 1980s lured a generation of young upstarts to New York, unleashing a political and cultural transformation whose national repercussions are still felt today.”

British Finds

—Alice & Steve, Hulu

I’ve been wondering what Nicola Walker has been up to, and now we know! This dark comedy, but really, more of a comedy, looks quite fun. A limited series in six parts, it premieres on Disney+/Hulu Monday, June 8th, and the trailer below tells you everything you need to know about its conceit of Alice & Steve.

—Dear England, BBC One

As we are nearing the kick-off of the men’s World Cup, it felt apropos to include mention of this new limited-series. Football/Soccer fans in English no doubt know about this true story and the coach the story centers itself Gareth Southgate. In fact, this limited series was first brought to the stage (and had a very successful run) before being adapted for the television screen. In Dear England, starring Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate, the four episodes span nearly 20 years of Southgate’s career and the struggles and rise of England’s national football team. Watch it now on BBC One, and have a look at the trailer below.

—Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion & Style by Caroline de Guitaut

Inspired by the exhibit now on display at Buckingham Palace of Queen Elizabeth II’s wardrobe (it has been extended and will not close on April 18, 2027), this book is one for your library. Hard to get at the moment as it is on backorder, but it will be worth your patience. Covered in eggshell blue linen, you can place an order via the link in the title or here on Amazon.

Films

—Office Romance, Netflix

Now this is an intriguing pairing, but you know what, I think it might work! 🙂 If you are looking for a rom-com, Office Romance, premiering today on Netflix, is one to watch. Starring Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein (co-writer of the film). Have a look at the trailer below.

—Tuner

Now this film intrigues me. Bridget’s young guy is having quite the busy schedule of late, and the plot of Tuner has my attention. Released just a few weeks ago in May, Leo Woodall stars alongside Dustin Hoffman and Alisen Richmond-Peck, a young man who is “a talented piano tuner who suffers from hyperacusis and discovers an unexpected aptitude for cracking safes, turning his life upside down.” Have a look at the trailer below.

Francophile Finds

—A Year of Reading with Shakespeare & Co.

A fun way to mix up your chosen reading material, let the staff at Paris’ Shakespeare & Co. select them for you! Subscribe by June 12th to their Year of Reading with Shakespeare & Co., and receive a new book each month, one of 12 remarkable titles, spanning new contemporary fiction and non-fiction, thought-provoking poetry, and overlooked classics selected by the staff.

“The volumes are inked with the bookshop stamp, wrapped in a staff pick belly-band, and sent to subscribers in three parcels over the next 12 months, in December, April, and August… Subscribe whenever you like, and you will receive the next three installments.”

This would be near reason enough for me to subscribe: A Special treat: each parcel of four carefully curated books is accompanied by a newly created or a classic S&Co item.

“The Year of Reading is a wonderful way to offer a loved one (or yourself…) a touch of literary Paris.”

—Tandem, Season 8 MHzchoice

I thought this playful mystery series centered on a divorced couple who work together at the local police force had wrapped up, but it turns out Tandem has a new two-part special for its fans! Yep! Find season 8 (two episodes only), now on MHzChoice.

—The Wagner Method, season 4, Walter Presents/PBS

I shared a few months ago that I learned about this French crime procedural series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Wagner Method is set in Strasbourg and has a Monk (starring Tony Shalloub) vibe. So, yep, you are solving a complex crime for 90 minutes, but there are also great relationships between the main cast and playful banter as well. The fourth season is now available on PBS/Walter Presents. I have watched episode one so far, where viewers get to head out to the vineyards, and it was a treat.

Shopping

—Ayr’s The Knockout, white jeans

—Dôen Julienne Top, four colors available

Can you just see this top being warm in the sweltering heat of summer, perhaps while strolling through the market stalls in Provence, where the breeze billows the sleeves and bodice, keeping you cool? A beautiful top to wear with so many different dressed-up or dressed-down looks.

—Faherty’s Coastal Popin Relaxed Shirt, endless coast stripe, more colors

—Joseph Summer Sale, up to 40% off

Joseph is a dream essential shopping place for my wardrobe. Having a few of their sweaters and a dress, oh! and one pair of loafers, the quality is superb . . . but I always wait for a sale. The prices are mid-luxury and worth it, but if you can save and still get what you want, that’s even better. I have shopped a few finds below that caught my eye, but there is much to explore and nicely reduced as well.

~SHOP THE SALE:

—Petite Plume’s Twill Pajama Set, three colors

I love a great pajama set, and in twill they provide some warmth while keeping you cool and looking polished, since they don’t wrinkle as much as linen does.

Television

—FIFA World Cup, North America, Men’s

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Ideal days in Bend, Oregon, have been upon us as of late, and I am soaking up the moderate heat, calm weather, and a garden that is very happy.

AND! In just seven days, preordering will begin on TSLL’s 4th book – Savoring the Sojourn! Yep! Look for an email this weekend if you are a newsletter subscriber, as I will share all of the details and what to expect, as well as the gift that will be included with every order for the first 45 days (free to active TOP Tier members with a special coupon code – shared in June’s A Cuppa Moments).

Between writing the regular content for TSLL and polishing all the details of the preordering, it has been a regular week, and it has been enjoyed immensely. Morning walks, pottering in the garden in the morning and evening, watching a few matches of the French Open, and I couldn’t wait any longer – I signed up for BritBox’s Premier membership and finished The Other Bennet Sister (and it was worth it! A brilliant story – smiling from ear-to-ear), and just savoring the first week of June.

Also this week, a new podcast episode focused on 15 Life Investments — 10 Daily Choices, 5 Big Moves, and we’re not talking about money directly, but rather well-being and quality of life today and down the road. And the Petit Plaisir is a favorite French crime series with a fabulous leading lady. Also, Monday’s motivational post shares two simple choices to bring peace to our days. And if you haven’t already begun listening to the weekly guided meditation mini-episode, Sunday’s episode might be the one to get you to consider giving it a try, as it shares Why It [whatever you are trying to figure out] Isn’t Working . . . Yet. A full week on the blog and now a weekend to step into.

Wishing you a wonderful one at that and lovely to see you stop by. Until Sunday, bonne journée!

~Newly opened to the public, Windsor Castle garden, designed by King Charles III, [BBC]

~Read this article by a Nobel-winning psychologist who thinks he has found the secret to happiness. [NYTimes, gift link]

~Vogue shares how, according to science, travel can help us live longer and fight aging

~How to make taking risks easier for HSPs [Sensitive Refuge]

~Dame Mary Berry speaks about being a style icon at 91 [House & Garden UK]

~Jumping rope. It’s not just for kids! Nope! Turns out, it is a great exercise to increase longevity and good physical health (something my parents shared with me as they have been dedicated to a new strength regimen now for six months at their local gym and seen awesome improvement. Grab your rope and here is a beginner’s workout to try. [NYTimes, gift link]

~Home Tour of the Week: This tranquil modern home set upon a freshwater shoreline in Hampshire is unique in that it also feels classically British with rich textiles while embracing primarily neutral. [House & Garden UK]

~Step inside the Louvre museum with a group of kindergarteners and listen to their reactions to all that they see.

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~Explore last week’s edition of This & That, May 29th

~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.