For those that can not read the fine print above (and thus comment on my uber witty repertoire) it reads as follows:

George and I just wanted to pop in real quick to wish you all a Happy New Year! And yes, she is sticking her tongue out at you. I told her it wasn’t polite but she thinks it’s charming and now that I have her photo in front of me I am inclined to agree.

I am always excited by a shiny, new set of 365 days to do with what I please.  I plan to take full advantage of them and have already started an extensive goal list, and you?  I’m not much for resolutions but I can totally jump on board the goal getter train. Besides having things to both add and tick off my to-do list is sheer nirvana.  I am wondering if I should air my goals on this blog as perhaps it may help keep me accountable, let me mull it over with George, she’s great with tricky decisions.

I just finished the last book in the Stieg Larsson trilogy, so bittersweet.  Whilst I was reading I was like an addict, never wanting to eat or sleep but to just make it to the next fix.  Now that it is finally over I am left bereft that I may never spend any serious amount of time with Larsson’s cast of characters in the Swedish underworld.  Mr. Larsson died shortly after the final manuscripts were submitted to his publisher so unless there is a miracle, he rises from the dead and writes another series, this shall be my last pass at spending time in the chaotic world he created. My future mother-in-law was the ‘pusher’ in this case, she has managed to get this die hard non-fiction reader to dip her toe into the fictional pool of the thriller/mystery genre.  I am afraid I may have gone off the deep end.  I do believe there is going to be a plethora of Swedish crime novels in my future, but I doubt any one of them will be as intelligent and exciting as Larsson’s, yet I am willing to invest the time to abate my withdrawals with cheap substitutes.  

I read the last novel on my Iphone via the Kindle app and discovered a whole new world of possibilities open up to me–I could in one touch look up any word that had me stumped and I received a suggestion list of 29 books that were similar that I could download a free preview to if I was so inclined (I am). I now plan to read all my trashy novels this way unless I get them from the library. I will buy only books that either look aesthetically pleasing (who wants to download a coffee table book?), or if someone peruses my library makes me look smarter than I am–priorities.  Do I recommend this series?  Yes, if you want a very intelligent thriller with a bit of history thrown in. No, if graphic sex and violence will cause your eyeballs to melt. I had no idea that the latter would be part of the stories but by the time I realized it was I was already too far hooked to turn away. If it’s any conciliation I do believe that both are not gratuitous and add to the story but what do I know?  I’m just an addled book addict.

On Monday’s I like to delight with a dose of cute preferably in the form of a baby animal.  On my hunt for cute I came across artist Jenni Phillips Ursa Major piece.  This truly goes beyond cute and could even fall into the ‘magnificent’ category but since I am a creature of habit and feature cute on Monday’s let me go with the cute angle on this one (but truly it is magnificent). The work is not a flat print, which would be equally as stunning, but it’s an articulated paper doll piece which makes it wildly more fabulous.  It’s so clever and original, polar bears appreciating the constellation Ursa Major (in Latin the ‘larger bear’)? Being able to reposition your polar bear mom and polar baby to suit your fancy?  I adore this more than than you can even imagine.

I spied artist Anne Siems on the always lovely Melissa Loves blog.  Melissa did a fine job of pairing Anne’s creations with outfits, so clever + creative. Melissa describes Anne’s work as magical and I must say I concur, it was the first word that came to mind when I saw it.  There’s also a delicate exuberance (if such a thing exists). The tendrils of floating wreaths that surround many of her works are like a champagne cork that is just about to explode, there’s something celebratory mixed in with a healthy dose of anticipation. I couldn’t think of a better (or more beautiful) way to sign off for the holiday then to showcase some of her amazing work.  I am particularly drawn to the deer but the swift fox is also holding court on my wish list.  

A very merry Christmas to you all, wishing you the best of everything now and always!