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The amount of wonderful French films has me beaming! And then there are ooodles, upon oodles of books and as per usual, on a wide array of topics – a novel set in Provence, a historical fiction story centered around three females in positions of power (or at least their husbands were, but no doubt they had a powerful influence), a book about beliefs and how they mold our reality, a coming of age film with a familiar face, clothing from France and still there is more!
Books
—The Art of Intentional Dressing: Your Essential Style Guide for Manifesting a Magnetic Life by Erin Walsh
Set to be released on May 5th, a style book has been described as offering far more than sartorial wisdom. “Celebrity stylist Erin Walsh’s success is driven by her core belief that your closet is a portal of possibilities, offering you daily choices about who you want to be, how you want to feel, and how to dress the part. In The Art of Intentional Dressing, she presents her transformative approach to practicing what she calls ‘manifestation in fashion form.’ Her signature CREATE method will empower you to not only find your personal style, but find your magic—as you step into a life of presence, power, and purpose.”
What exactly is the CREATE method? Clarity, Ritual, Editing, Alignment, Truth and Expansion. And along with teaching readers how to bring your life and style into alignment, Walsh also shares:
- The most common style blocks and how to edit your closet
- Mood archetypes to help you channel your personal style
- Color theory and a curated library of silhouette profiles to make wardrobe choices easy
- Grounding rituals for getting aligned as you get dressed
—Beautiful Blooms: A Photographic Celebration by Georgianna Lane
Georgianna Lane is an acclaimed photographer (I enjoy following her on IG for the beauty she freely shares), and she has traveled the globe in search of nature’s most captivating flowers. From Paris to the west coast of America, capturing gardens and centuries-old European estates, “her lens has lovingly captured thousands of fleeting floral moments.”
Beautiful Blooms, being released on May 5th, is “a visual celebration of nature’s most exquisite creations—a serene sanctuary of roses, peonies, tulips, irises, hydrangeas, and more. Featuring a curated selection of her never-before-seen images, Georgianna invites readers to slow down, breathe deeply, and immerse themselves in the timeless beauty of the botanical world.”
—The Library of Flowers: A Novel by L.C. Chu
Described as an “exploration of family, identity, and the expectations we inherit, perfect for anyone who has ever carried the weight of a legacy―and dared to make it their own”, The Library of Flowers centers around Lucy, a fifth-generation Hua woman, women who have “held sway over the courts of emperors and billionaires with their magical perfumes able to stir hearts and ensure fortunes. And in every fifth generation, an eldest daughter is born with the rarest gift of all: the ability to summon true love.”
“Lucy was supposed to be the miracle her exacting mother had been waiting for. But when her magic failed, Lucy fled Vancouver, her legacy, and the expectations that had nearly broken her. Now, years later, she runs a tiny perfume shop tucked away in Toronto’s Kensington Market―crafting beautiful, perfectly ordinary scents and keeping her extraordinary past firmly behind her. That is, until a death in the family brings her home…and saddles her with an unwelcome inheritance: the centuries-old Hua family register, brimming with secrets, formulas, and forgotten truths.”
Being released on May 5th
—The Power of Beliefs: How Strengthening Seven Core Beliefs Predicts Greater Success and a Better Life by Shawn Achor
You may remember Shawn Achor from his bestselling book The Happiness Advantage (it was cited in this podcast episode (#194) years ago here on TSLL). Well, now, his new book, The Power of Beliefs, explores a truth we often dismiss, and when we do, opportunity is tossed aside.
In The Power of Beliefs, being released on May 5th, Anchor reminds us of this truth and how to use it to our advantage. “The greatest predictor of your future is the beliefs you hold about the world. Anchor illuminates how beliefs change the math about what is possible and probable in our lives. And by changing the math, beliefs change our path… Beliefs about ourselves, money, the world, politics, faith, and work do more than shape the lens through which we see the world. They shape what happens next. Scientifically speaking, beliefs don’t just reflect reality. Beliefs bend reality. Unfortunately, our beliefs can be empowering, or they can be destructive.”
“Shawn explores the six main ways of changing your and others’ beliefs using research-based strategies he has tested everywhere from Wall Street to impoverished schools in Africa, from Camp Pendleton to Camp David:
• The Disaster Elevator: change what part of the brain processes the world.
• The Memory DeLorean: change the memory.
• Stopping Negative Mantras: change the language.
• Creating a Neural Tribe: change the sources.
• Starting the Wave: change the contagious actions.
• Common Texts, Common Action: change the texts.”
—Small Wonders: A Field Guide to Life’s Quiet Joys by Jennifer Shoop
I want to extend a big Thank You to long-time reader and member Diana M. for bringing Jennifer Shoop’s new book to my attention (check out her blog Magpie here). Paired with soothing photography, Small Wonders is “your invitation to slow down and savor the minor miracles of everyday living. With her insightful prose and evocative poetry, author Jennifer Shoop celebrates the little moments that connect us to each other and to the world around us.” Have a glimpse at the book’s content below.
—Three Queens by Rebecca Connolly
Being released on Tuesday, if you love fiction, women’s history, and history in general, then this is a historical piece of fiction to pick up and delight in. Centered around the wives of the three men holding power in their respective countries, Rebecca Connolly imagines how Abigail Adams, Queen Charlotte, and Marie Antoinette’s paths may have crossed in unexpected ways in public, in private, and through letters. “They forge a quiet sisterhood across borders and upheaval, each one facing love and loss, sweetness and strife, revolution and regrets.”
—Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost Your Health and Longevity―One Step at a Time by Courtney Conley DC and Milica McDowell MS DPT
While I doubt I need to convince long-time TSLL readers of the benefits of walking regularly, when we find additional reasons to walk and details on how to do so optimally, it’s worth exploring. In their new book, Walk, Courtney Conley and Milica McDowell bring intriguing facts to our attention. For example, did you know…
- The number of daily optimal steps is not 10,000 (spoiler alert: it’s fewer!)
- Your risk of falls and overall longevity can be measured by your foot health
- Your walking speed can predict your overall health status and risk of early death
- Increasing your walking cadence has been shown to help reduce knee, hip, and lower back pain
All of this and much more is shared and will be available on May 5th
All of this and much more is shared and will be available on May 5th.
—What’s Going Right: A Powerful New Method for Optimizing Your Mental Health by Paul Conti
Being released on May 5th as well (so many worthwhile new books available at the same time!), Paul Conti’s What’s Going Right demonstrates the power of our chosen mindset, and yes, it is within our power to choose. Something we explore in-depth in TSLL’s Contentment Masterclass, this book reiterates many of the truths when Conti “poses that the key to embracing this new narrative – what’s going right – is tapping into our often ignored and long overlooked generative drive, the primary factor that’s already going right in each of us. The generative drive helps you get things done, solve problems creatively, help others, and feel connected to something larger than yourself. When activated, it brings you peace, contentment, and delight.
Dr. Conti shares the “exact method he uses on his patients and celebrity clients to help them tap into their generative drives, including: Rewiring Life Narratives, the 5 Part Function of Self: When you alter your function, you alter your life trajectory, cultivating a daily self-inquiry practice, learning compassionate curiosity, and progressive muscle relaxation.”
British Finds
—The Other Bennet Sister, BritBox
While already released in February, premiering this coming Wednesday on BritBox, The Other Bennet Sister begins. Already receiving praise across the pond, I look forward to watching it when it does.
—A Terribly Serious Adventure: Philosophy and War at Oxford, 1900-1960 by Nikhil Krishnan
For those who love British history, philosophy, and the inside scoop, A Terribly Serious Adventure, released a couple of years ago, “traces the friendships and the rivalries, the shared preoccupations and the passionate disagreements of some of Oxford’s most innovative thinkers. Far from being stuck in their ivory towers, the Oxford philosophers lived. They were codebreakers, diplomats, and soldiers in both World Wars, and they often drew on their real-world experience in creating their greatest works, masterpieces of British modernism original in both thought and style.”
“A Terribly Serious Adventure is an eye-opening look inside the rooms that changed how we think about our world. Shedding light on the lives and intellectual achievements of a large and spirited cast of characters, Cambridge academic Nikhil Krishnan shows us how much we can still learn from the Oxford philosophers. In our fractious, post-truth world, their acute sense of responsibility for their words, their passionate desire to get the little things right, stands as an inspiring example.”
Décor
—Savannah Rattan Shoe Rack, Greenrow
At the moment, I have been pondering how to better organize my front entry closet, and finding a neat yet tidy place for shoes is on my mind. I spied this shoe rack and wanted to share.
Films
If you are a fan of Shrinking, you will immediately recognize one of the stars in this coming-of-age film. Lukita Maxwell (who stars as Alice in Shrinking) stars alongside Mark McKenna, Cody (played by Maxwell), and Kevin (McKenna), who are 18-year-olds enjoying the last summer before it feels as though life will significantly change. Taking us back to the summer of 2010, “Kevin is two months into his family’s annual summer trip in Northern Michigan, and is soon joined by his girlfriend Cody, and best friends Jared (Jun Yu) and Martin (Julian Bass), as they arrive from their hometown Chicago to spend the rest of the summer together. This summer, Kevin and Cody have one month remaining before change is thrust upon them and their lives take them to different colleges. Amid peaceful summer days and adventurous nights, Kevin and Cody attempt to seize the moments before them.” Have a look at the trailer below and find An Autumn Summer premiering this weekend in theaters.
I probably don’t need to remind you about this premiere, but just in case you’ve been hiding out away from all discussion of cerulean belts, the ‘clackers’, the sequel premieres today. The Devil Wears Prada 2 returns with the cast we have watched on repeat (yep, quite a few times the first film has been watched) since it premiered back in 2006. This time, the magazine industry is struggling to stay relevant, and influencers, smart phones and social media play their role in the demise or life-saving measures. Can you believe that none of these devices or tools were around during the first film? Seems it was just yesterday, but knowing that fact makes it seem such a long time ago. Have a look at the trailer below and find it in theaters beginning today.
~Read a review of the film from The New York Times that does a nice job of contrasting the first film with the second. [gift link]
Francophile Find
—The Artist and the Feast: A novel by Lucy Steeds
This novel looks to be a gem of a read. Slip away to Provence, follow the romantic dance of two unsuspecting and yet curious young souls, and discover who is the artist and what is the feast.
Already released in Europe, The Artist and the Feast has received oodles of praise from readers and critics. Occurring during a hot summer in 1920s France, the novel is set on a farm owned by a reclusive artist when a young journalist shows up hoping to write an article about this creative. I’m intrigued, and perhaps you are as well.
Being released in the States on May 5th
—Chic! (France Channel)
Since fashion is all the talk this weekend, with The Devil Wears Prada 2 premiering, here is a French (somewhat) equivalent film to watch and enjoy. I can’t believe I haven’t watched it yet, but somehow it did slip past me. Premiering in 2015, Chic! centers around Alicia, a designer for a haute couture fashion house who is lacking inspiration to create a new collection after a bitter breakup. To save the show, her director quickly devises a solution to restore Alicia’s creative powers. Have a look at the trailer below and find it through the streaming platform France Channel, which you can find on Amazon Prime or on its own website here.
—Deux Pianos (Two Pianos)
This French film looks quite interesting. Starring François Civil as Mathieu, a virtuoso pianist who, after years of self-imposed exile, returns to France, specifically Lyon, and reunites with his former mentor (Charlotte Rampling) and first love (Nadia Tereszkiewicz). Described as a haunting romantic mystery, the film comes from director Arnaud Desplechin, a film further characterized as an intoxicating romantic mystery. Watch the trailer for Deux Pianos below. While not yet available to stream, it is premiering in theaters in the US starting today.
—Gerard Darel’s Rana, Long Cotton Shirt Dress, three colors
A French brand I recently learned about after reading Dree Hemingway’s profile in The Financial Times, their clothing is modern, yet with a clear classic inclusion, as is this shirt dress.
—Gerard Darel’s Ruzena polka dot shirt dress
One more from the brand (it is definitely one to keep on your radar if their style appeals to you).
My weekend viewing plans are set! Je m’appelle Agneta premiered last Thursday on Netflix, and it looks quite fun and inspiring. A Swedish film, Agneta (Eva Melander) is “craving a fresh start, and is recently unemployed. She accepts an au pair gig in Provence that turns into an indulgent escape — and an unexpected awakening.” Watch the trailer below and enjoy! Vive la France!
Shopping
—Buck Mason’s Shrunken Academy Linen Blazer
I have continued ot look at the length of the sleeves of this blazer, and they look quite generous, which means this blazer is speaking my language. The ‘shrunken’ description is throwing me because it looks quite standard in design, but regardless of the name Buck Mason has given it, as we have talked about in the Signature Style series, the only thing that matters is the actual measurements. Look at those, make your decision based on how they work with your body, and you will be set. And it’s linen. Yep, this is a staple piece if the coloring (and the measurements) suit you.
—GAP x Victoria Beckham Trench Coat
British designer Victoria Beckham has teamed up with GAP for a capsule collection, and while many items are sold out, this trench is still available. I like how there isn’t a lapel in the back, which provides a clean silhouette. And the price isn’t bad either.
—Rag & Bone’s Cam Relaxed Straight Jean, Rosland
Ohhh, there is just something about the subtle slouch, the brilliant, excessive washed look, and the straight leg dropped to the floor. Love these jeans.
—SoldOut.NYC’s Perfect Tee Dress in Black
If black is your color, this shirt dress is a well-priced find. Classic with its tee design, a comfortable length (midi) for all sorts of traveling and movement and activities, and easy to style in a number of ways.
A brief respite savored earlier this week. Nelle cheered me on as I made progress on a project in the garden (shared here in the Smile post this week), and we were then all too happy to take a break on the garden porch in the shade. With a good book’s arrival, tea and each other’s company, it was most nourishing ☺️
Exciting progress is being made on another project inside Le Papillon which I will be sharing more about in the coming weeks, but a glimpse was given in the Smile post and it will hopefully provide inspiration for tailoring your own similar space to exactly how you best live and spend your everydays.
Also! Just in time to ready ourselves for the new farmers’ market season where fresh seasonal produce abounds! Currently, there is a sale taking place on TSLL’s Intro to French Cooking class. The first sale since the course launched back in August, and it runs through this Sunday, May 3rd. Save $10 off the regular $95 price when you use promo code COOKSEASONALLY.
And TOP Tier Members, a new A Cuppa Moments will be posted later today where Nelle will take us on a gorgeous walk under Bend bluebird skies, we’ll talk about the upcoming British Week, books, new releases, projects, and more, along with a thought to ponder, and this one is aimed at the anglophiles 🇬🇧🫖❤️
And happy May Day or in France, La Fête du Muguet! Have you gifted a handful of les muguets to a friend or loved one for luck and love? Here in the States, any spring flower will do, and it is a fun tradition to keep, especially with friends who love to garden. Wishing you a beautiful first weekend of May, and thank you for stopping by the blog! Until Sunday, bonne journée !
~Enjoyed listening to this episode of The Good Life France podcast, where they talk about many of the well-known national symbols of France and their fascinating history. Some of what they shared. I knew, much I did not! ☺️🇫🇷❤️
~You may recognize the location of where this Parisian apartment is located and now for sale. A peek into all the rooms. (Psst, Emily in Paris fans, this one is for us 🙃) [Forbes]
~For brain, heart and gut health, this fruit is a winner! And I love noshing on them throughout my afternoons. [Real Simple]
~Sézane’s summer collection becomes available to shop this Sunday May 3rd. Explore it all here and save your favorites.
~Explore many of the filming locations for The Devil Wears Prada 2 which takes us to Italy this time, specifically Lake Como, along with Manhattan. [House & Garden UK]
~The British version of The Hamptons. Find out where to go and why it is considered its counterpart. [CNTraveller]
~This online questionnaire was reassuring, How Well Will You Age, even if they don’t offer options, many TSLL readers, I have a feeling would want to choose – reading quietly, taking a walk, packing a book with us at all times just in case we have to wait, etc. [NYTimes, gift link]
~Home Tour of the Week: This San Francisco Edwardian house is full of historical charm and soothing tranquil touches. [Vogue Australia]
~Speaking of homes, a list to save – 14 fascinating artist’ houses to visit in Britain and Europe] [House & Garden UK]
~And the date has been set! Let’s return to Britain with Ted Lasso on August 5th! Watch the trailer below.
~Explore last week’s edition of This & That, April 24th
Books, books, and more books! And the topics are far-ranging – flaneuring, reducing your mental load, where to start to find your life’s work, cozy mysteries, stepping inside culinary institutes, and more. Quite a few returning French mystery series and one French series that takes us back to school, which looks like quite a bit of fun and thought-provoking as well. Clothes to cozy up in, as well as summer linen shirts at an amazing price, and . . . oh! I have a music video for you that I think you’re going to love. Still, there is more!
~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.
