A much anticipated and favorite-gardening-show-of-mine returns, a Parisian museum to visit that is less well-known, a follow-up book to its predecessor I LOVED and recommended a few years ago, clothing for spring and summer to scoop up, a French cloth tote at a steal-of-a-deal, books on French pastries, savory pastries, wanting and more, and a French film that won many awards last year and is a comedy to absolutely delight in. Oh, and there is still much more.

Books

—Another Year of Wonder by Clemency Burton-Hill

—Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis

I found the concept of this book greatly intriguing. Our mind can be easily lead to believe certain things – things we think we want or need – and Luke Burgis’ book (June 2021) “draws on the work of French polymath René Girard to bring this hidden force to light and reveals how it shapes our lives and societies. According to Girard, humans don’t desire anything independently. Human desire is mimetic―we imitate what other people want. This affects the way we choose partners, friends, careers, clothes, and vacation destinations. Mimetic desire is responsible for the formation of our very identities. It explains the enduring relevancy of Shakespeare’s plays, why Peter Thiel decided to be the first investor in Facebook, and why our world is growing more divided as it becomes more connected.” Definitely a book to exercise the mind, but that may indeed be exactly what it needs. 🙂

British Finds

—Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple: The Life and Times of Miss Jane Marple by Anne Hart

Agatha Christie’s two main reoccurring sleuths have intrigued me for some time, and while I have explored more often Hercule Poirot’s character, I am now interested in getting to know Miss Jane Marple a bit more. In this revised authorized biography edition, “Anne Hart combs through the 12 novels and 20 short stories in which Miss Marple appeared, uncovering clue and amassing all the evidence to solve the most difficult case of them all – the mystery of Miss Marple.”

—Death at a Funeral

I am stepping back to 2007, but if you are looking for a hearty laugh about a weighty subject, look no further than the British film Death at a Funeral. Check out the trailer below. It is free to watch if you are an Amazon Prime member.

—Gardeners’ World, Season 54 premiere

Now this is an annual event and ritual I savor, and this Saturday will be no different. The new season of the weekly program on BBC Two, Gardeners’ World premieres today, and you can watch it on BritBox here in the states. I tune in each Saturday morning after enjoying my breakfast, pouring myself a cuppa and snuggling in with Norman. Following watching, I am inspired to gear up and head outside to savor time in the garden.

Now if you are not a gardener, but love England, I highly recommend watching the series as well because it takes viewers to beautiful gardens around the British Isles in each 60-minute episode which is released each Friday beginning in March (today!) and running through mid-October. My Saturday morning plans are set!

Check out two posts that share what I love most about this gardening program hosted by Monty Don

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Cookbooks

—French Pastries and Desserts by Lenôtre: 200 Classic Recipes Revised and Updated by Team of Chefs at Lenôtre Paris

This new edition was released in November 2021, and the first published in English in 1977 as Lenôtre’s Desserts and Pastries—has been updated in collaboration with the chefs at Lenôtre Paris and two of the founder’s children. Who was Gaston Lenôtre you may be wondering? He was “a legendary master French pâtis­sier and revered for having made desserts lighter and more delicious; his techniques continue to influence pastry chefs in France and around the world.”

Inside this new edition you will find two hundred essential recipes including crois­sants, éclairs, crêpes, mille-feuilles, baba au rhum, molten chocolate cake, lemon meringue pie, and mango tartlet. The chefs at Lenôtre Paris—who run a world-class cooking school—have adapted the recipes for amateur bakers and experienced professionals alike who seek inspiration from the rich tradition of Lenôtre’s French pâtisserie.

 

—The Savory Baker: 150 Creative Recipes, from Classic to Modern by America’s Test Kitchen

Released just last month, America’s Test Kitchen shares a “unique collection, one of the few to focus solely on the savory side of baking, explores a multitude of flavor possibilities. Get inspired by creative twists like gochujang-filled puff pastry pinwheels or feta-studded dill-zucchini bread. And sample traditional baked goods from around the world, from Chinese lop cheung bao to Brazilian pão de quejo”. Sharing “flexible recipes let you keep things simple by often using store-bought doughs and crusts, or go all out and make them from scratch using our foolproof methods. No matter what kind of baker you are, you’ll be inspired by the irresistible flavors, from everyday biscuits to showstopping breads”.

Francophile Finds

—Antoinette in the Cévennes

I am so excited to have learned of this film and to share it with you! And now I just have to be patient as it is not viewable in the states, but it may just be available if you live outside of the US. Simply click on the link shared above for the film and on the film’s homepage, there is a link for “Streaming” and it will automatically tell you where it is (of if it is) available to view.

If you enjoyed Call Your Agent, as I have a feeling many of you did :), you are going to immediately recognize the star of Antoinette in the Cévennes – Laure Calamy. “Calamy plays the 40-something primary school teacher Antoinette who has been eagerly looking forward to a long-planned weekend escape with her married lover Vladimir, the father of one of her pupils. However their plans are upended by his wife’s booking of a surprise hiking trip in the picturesque Cévennes mountains in the South of France (a six-day trek made famous by best-selling author Robert Louis Stevenson). Completely unversed in the ways of the wilderness, the spurned Antoinette impulsively decides to follow them, and once paired with an unlikely companion – an obstinate but evidently wise grey donkey named Patrick – discovers much, much more than she bargained for… “.

The film was the #1 Comedy at AF French Film Festival, Laure Calamy won the Best Actress award at France’s César Awards in 2021 for her role AND the film was an official selection for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. Have a look at the trailer below and be sure to watch the film when it becomes available where you live.

 

—Marmottan—Monet Museum (Paris)

Monet’s paintings can be viewed in person in many locales around Paris, most famously at the Musée de l’Orangerie in the Tuileries Gardens, but be sure to also visit the Marmottan-Monet Museum near Le Tour de Eiffel. Why? An intimate and beautiful locale, it holds the largest single collection of Monet’s work found anywhere around the world. It also is the home of other worth-knowing (yet, lesser known) Impressionist painters such Berthe Morisot, Alfred Sisley, Paul Gaugin and many others. (view my tour of the limited-time exhibit of Berthe Morisot at Musée d’Orsay here)

—Murder at the Port de Versailles by Cara Black

American writer Cara Black has a new mystery to add to her series! Being released on March 15th, Murder at the Port de Versailles is the 20th book in the Parisian private investigator Aimée Leduc series.

Shopping

—Another Tomorrow’s Pinstripe Shirt Dress

Made of custom organic poplin cotton, Another Tomorrow’s juxtaposed horizontal and vertical stripes is a unique and modern take on a classic. As well, Another Tomorrow is a company dedicated to sustainability. Be sure to check out their Mission Statement here. While yes, this dress is an investment, it will be chic for many seasons and years to come, and you don’t have to pay full price this month. Save $150 when you spend $500 – use promo code WOMEN150 now through March 31st.

—Apparis Bella satin Leopard print pajamas (medium size only)

—DVF Grenada Utilitarian Midi Dress in signature blue leopard fish print

~Eres Fuchsia belted washed-silk midi dress, 70% off

—J.Crew Reusable Everyday Tote (stripes – two color ways)

If you are looking for a classic, subtly-French-inspired cloth tote, for $10, these can be yours!

—Soeur Nathaniel Canvas Tote

~Tory Burch Patos Sandal (two colors)

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And fully, we are in March!

We’ve had beautiful sunny days, crystal clear blue sky days that took us below zero, cozy snow-fall days – each of which define an Oregon March – a mixture of both spring and winter. 🙂 With that said, my plans are made for tomorrow morning because as I shared above, Gardeners’ World premieres tonight! I save watching the episode until the morning, but oh, my, goodness I cannot wait. 🙂 I look forward to getting outside this weekend as the temperatures are supposed to rise, as well, *fingers crossed* the correct wallpaper for the primary bathroom is supposed to be delivered today, and if that happens (I am being cautiously, guarded in my optimism), I will be wallpapering on Saturday and finishing the room! Wahoo!

More celebration occurred this week as readers began receiving their paperback copies of The Road to Le Papillon: Daily Meditations on True Contentment, and a few readers have begun to receive their green envelopes full of gifts. As I shared in last week’s release post, be sure to share a pic of your book capturing a moment that epitomizes a moment of true contentment for you. I will be compiling a post full of readers’ pics to post the week of April 12th. You can either post on IG (and tag me – @thesimplyluxuriouslife) or email me directly. 🙂

Last week I shared that I had ordered more silk embroidered bookmarks than I needed, and I now have them available in TSLL’s Shop for purchase!

I am shipping them at just $2 – worldwide (you will be charged the flat rate if you order more than one), and only charging the retail cost as I want TSLL readers to enjoy these beautiful bookmarks. Four designs are currently available (daffodils, snowdrops, purple butterfly and monarch butterfly), but once they are gone, I am not restocking. Check out them out here. I will have them shipped out within a day of your order as they are currently sitting in my office waiting to find a home. 🙂

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A post shared by Shannon Ables (tsll.co) (@thesimplyluxuriouslife)

As well, on a shipping note, if you purchased paperback copies of TSLL’s 1st or/and 2nd book, those all shipped out yesterday and you should have received a shipping notification. Hopefully they will arrive next week – earlier rather than later. 🙂 I am still waiting for the hardback copies to arrive, but when they do, those orders will ship out within the day to you. 🙂

Norman and I have been enjoying this week at home – deep nights of sleep, putting the finishing touches of edits on the audio book, and just generally enjoying a regular everyday routine which has been incredibly soothing – oh! and many moments to read great books – I am LOVING these two – one seen in the pic with the tulips and the other here – thank you to TSLL reader Dani for gifting me with the latter). I hope your week went well. I am so grateful for your time and interest in TSLL. Thank you for stopping by today and until Monday, bonne journée.

~I am excited to be adding a bird bath to my Sunshine/Meditation Garden this year (aka the small little space where my busy bird café is located near my reading nook), and wanted to share this article if you too are looking for ways to add a bird bath to your garden [Gardenista]

~I found this to be an intriguing article about whether or not conveying confidence when you actually don’t know is more detrimental than beneficial and visa versa [WSJ]

~Have you ever been curious what being an interior designer actually entails? Three British interior designers share the details [House & Garden UK]

~I thoroughly appreciated this article —How to Stop Rushing into Love — and look forward to reading the author’s book which was very well received [The New York Times]

~I think this is just a great article regardless of your age – Finding new friends in mid-life [That’s Not My Age]

~Attention Management – that is the goal – rather than Time Management [The New York Times]

~No, you don’t have to work harder: the truth about finding success [Tiny Buddha]

~The Mayo Clinic confirms – Meditation can reduce stress

~I greatly enjoyed the 7th episode of The Gilded Age podcast, especially the latter half when Carrie Coon joins the show to talk about how the series parallels in many ways our current times.

~I always enjoy Leo Babauta teachings about how to find more peace in our days and this post is no different – 5 Ways to Simplify Your Life [Zen Habits]

~I mentioned above about Marmottan-Monet Museum, but I also wanted to share this post from Paris Unlocked which shares all of the places to view Monet’s work in Paris.

~Introverts! 5 Daily rituals to protect your energy [Introvert, Dear]

~The kind of smarts you don’t find in young people (less innovation, more wisdom please) [The Atlantic]

~And for fellow travelers to Paris out there, you probably already heard the news, but beginning on Monday (March 14) – France scraps its vaccine pass requirements and indoor mask mandate for most locations [Forbes]

~Sanditon is returning on March 21st, and here is the trailer. (I will be sure to include the series in next week’s This & That as well as a reminder to enjoy :))

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Check out last week’s This & That: March 4, 2022

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