Hello darlings,
There’s finally a hint of spring in the air and I could not be happier about it!! I’m not a winter person (in like a big seasonal affective way) and feeling the sun on my face when I went for a walk this afternoon made me feel so much more optimistic about everything.
It’s a fun week in House DitL because my birthday is just a couple of days away! We’re keeping it low key but I’m looking forward to eating some of my favorite foods and taking some extra time to myself to celebrate having made it through another year.
I hope that you get a bit of that pre-spring hopeful feeling today, too, my darlings. Don’t let the bastards grind you down.
xoxo,
Becky
What I’m reading
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett: Bookshop.org | Amazon
Emily Wilde, a bookish Professor of Dryadology who is doing field research in a cold, unfriendly small town. She plans to keep her head down, gather evidence for her book, and hopefully make tenure at her university back home by observing some unusual local faeries.
The worldbuilding is enthralling: layered and complex and exquisitely planned out. It was absorbing from the first sentence but unfurled at a leisurely pace that invited me to read slower than usual and take everything in. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to read the next in the series.
Highly recommended if you like a practical, no-nonsense heroine who prioritizes her passion for her vocation above social niceties. This book contains some romance, but it’s not a Romance – the love story is a very, very small part of the book.
His Majesty’s Dragon (Temeraire Series #1) by Naomi Novik: Bookshop.org | Amazon
This glorious fantasy series is a retelling of the Napoleonic wars with one key difference: in this universe, both sides fight with aerial corps of dragons. The main character is a former Navy Captain who accidentally bonded with a rare dragon and must now serve king and country by learning how to fight in a whole new way.
Spectacularly written and utterly absorbing; slow moving in a good way. I think the dragons are my favorite characters.
Want to see more fiction I’m loving? Click here.
Internets
US Postal Inspection Service Alert: Beware of ‘Diamond’ Ring ‘Brushing’ Scam. If you receive a ring you didn’t buy in the mail and it comes with a QR code, don’t scan it!
Fairmined vs Fairtrade Gold: What’s the Difference? – from Ethical Metalsmiths.
5 Engagement Ring Designers to Know in 2025, according to Only Natural Diamonds. Meet five designers with unique brand identities and an exceptional eye for natural diamonds.
Sotheby’s to offer Fabergé Animals from Castle Howard: The carvings will make their debut at Sotheby’s in May 2025, with the proceeds to going to the restoration of Castle Howard’s tapestry drawing room.
The Curse of the Stolen Amethyst. Is this gemstone responsible for more than a century of tragedy?
If you need a video break, here’s a 10 minute watch about the world’s most cursed gemstones.
Louis Vuitton High Jewellery Travels to 19th Century France. This new chapter, the Awakened Hands Awakened Minds high jewellery collection pays tribute to the evolution of savoir-faire and the great scientific advances of the 19th century, while highlighting Louis Vuitton’s fascination with extraordinary stones and precious metals.
Book images via UnSplash. This post contains affiliate links.
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