Formally inviting you to my book club! Reading has been my number one hobby for as long as I can remember. I have so many recommendations, reviews, and thoughts to share. And I can’t wait to hear yours too.

June Book Pick: Lady of the Camellias

By Alexandre Dumas Fils

This novel is what inspired the Oscar-winning musical Moulin Rouge. Lady of the Camellias tells the story of Marguerite Gautier, despite having many lovers, she has never been loved-until she meets Armand Duval.

Read along with me I can’t wait to dive in <3

Cooking has always been a one of my favorite hobbies to share with the people I love. I thought I’d share one recipe a month that focuses on being dairy free. All recipes are tested multiple times by me, I hope you love them as much as I do. <3

(pls note not all of these are original recipes but tweaked to fit dietary needs, and some are passed down from family)

June‘s Recipe : Saffron Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

Pinch of saffron threads
1 tablespoon warm water
1 cup basmati rice
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1/4 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

In a small bowl, soak the saffron threads in 1 tbsp of warm water for 10 minutes to bloom the threads.

Rinse rice in a sieve until cold water runs clear. In a large saucepan, melt vegan butter. Sauté onions 3 to 5 minutes, add garlic for about 1 minute. Add rice, salt, and coriander sauté until rice is lightly toasted, 3 to 5 minutes.

Pour in broth and saffron threads with the saffron water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover with foil then a lid, let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for an additional 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork, sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

I’ve been obsessed with this rice, I literally can’t stop making it. Enjoy <3

Beauty: Glossier You perfume mixed with the Nest Coconut body mist is just divine. I love mixing scents, the other day a woman said I smelled like summer, I thought that was beautiful.

Another beauty favorite this month is the Lush Biomic Lotion and their Karma Lotion. Biomic is great for those delicate areas that need more moisture, it’s supposed to have a tightening effect. Karma is great for everyday. The scent is mixed with almond orange and patchouli, makes you smell amazing all day long.

Do you like to mix scents? What’s ur favorite mix?

Media: My favorite songs this month have been from a couple different albums so I’ll go by song; Temperance – Twin Tribes , Verdis Quo – Daft Punk , A Forest – The Cure , dimé – Darkø, Club De Vampiros – French Police, In Your Eyes – Kylie Minoque, Devil Town – Cavetown , Amsterdam – Gregory Alan Isakov

Listen along to the ‘Travel Diaries’ May Favorites Playlist on Spotify <3

What are your top 3 favorite songs this month?

Literature: My favorite read this month has been

I Who Have Never Known Men’ By Jacqueline Harpman

This story follows thirty-nine women and a young girl , who are imprisoned in a cage underground, with no memory of how they arrived there. The story is told from the perspective of the youngest prisoner, the only one who doesn’t have memories of the world outside the cage. After an alarm sounds, the guards flee, leaving the women free to explore a barren, deserted world. This is so different from most stories that i typically go for and something about it was just so good i can’t quite put my finger on it.. I found the main character very relatable at times, her emotions felt like larger metaphors for things in everyday life

“but then, one evening, instead of falling asleep from the boredom of trying to imagine a kiss that would never happen..”

I loved delving into her mind and feelings. The dystopian eery feel of this really hooked me it was like a personal diary of someone on the arc in the show the 100 and i think that’s why i liked it so much. Then this delves into loneliness, hope, things that give life meaning and if those things actually matter in perspective.

“I’m afraid there’s no chance of that..but it’s true that if that were to happen, you’d be able to criticize us for having been very poor teachers, and we’d delight in your criticism”

A main theme being battling hope and hopelessness. Overall this was written so well it kept me engaged and it was so sad, I loved it. Rating for me out of 5 was 4 Stars ⭐️

What was your favorite read this month and why?

One Goal for June: I’ve been setting a habit of accomplishing one singular goal each month to keep things simple. For June I want to be consistent with my Morning Pages. I love using my A6 handmade Journal with the Hand Dyed Vegetable Tanned Leather in the shade Navy Blue. It’s the perfect size to carry my morning pages and a commonplace notebook.

What is your one goal you aim to accomplish this month?

That is the beauty of it, you can use it for whatever you would like, Art, Diary, Junk, Planning. Previously I mentioned using my A6 specifically for morning pages and a common place journal. You might be wondering what those are…

Morning Pages is a specific type of journal used for a daily writing practice. It’s a tool for clearing mental clutter, tapping into creativity, and stimulating self-expression. What makes it unique, is its a daily practice you write in every morning, ideally as soon as you wake up. You write whatever comes to mind, without worrying about grammar, spelling, or making sense. The goal is to write a “stream of consciousness,” a continuous flow of thoughts. You write for 30 minutes or until you fill three pages.

Common Place is used to collect ideas, quotes, anecdotes, and other interesting pieces of information that someone finds inspiring or valuable. Unlike a diary where personal thoughts and experiences are recorded, a commonplace journal is a place to gather information and thoughts from external sources. It’s a way to store anything you don’t want to forget and revisit later. What’s makes this unique is its a collection of external ideas; It’s not a place to write your own thoughts or experiences, but rather a place to gather quotes, notes, recipes, song lyrics, and anything else that catches your interest. It’s for organization; While not strictly chronological, it’s often organized by topic or theme, allowing for easier retrieval of information. It’s basically a personal reference book; a central resource for ideas and knowledge.

Fun Fact: The Common Place journal has historical significance
and a long history, with people like Marcus Aurelius, Virginia Woolf, and Mark Twain keeping them.

Remember to not take it too seriously, this is supposed to be fun!

What is one moment from today you don’t want to forget?

What do you feel like you cheated yourself of?

What is something you love now that you never thought you would like in the past?

What would your life look like if you removed all of your fears and limitations?