Getting Random Sh!t Off My Mind

It’s not the easiest to write consistently. I feel like I spend more time procrastinating/complaining about writing/watching YouTube videos than actually writing. Sigh.

            The Dreambinder should be twice as long as it actually is now. I should have something to show for myself. I have a new Murloc Shaman portrait in Hearthstone, does that count?

            My point is, it seems that this whole “being a writer” business is more like “being a guilt-ridden procrastinator who can only be forced to work by applying unhealthy amounts of shame to her ego.” Let’s stick with “being a writer.” It’s more succinct.

            The Next Big Idea is my Shakespeare Sock Puppets, who reenact Shakespeare’s plays with all the sugar-fueled finesse of a crafty six year old (basically, who I am in my deep heart’s core.) Now, if only I had the self-control to sit down and write the damn script, everything would be fine.

            But I’m easily distracted by shiny objects. At the moment, the object in question is the new book in the Red London series by V. E. Schwab. I read the first book on my parents’ couch last summer—it’s the same couch that was there when they bought the house 20 years ago, and I’m pretty sure my mom’s water broke all over that couch when she had me. It’s been through so many slipcovers and refurbishments, I’ve lost track. Still, my parents, staunch in their thriftiness as Depression-era residents of the Dust Bowl, refuse to replace the couch with something more . . . new? Comfortable? 21^st century? Seriously, even the latest iteration of the slipcover is so early 2000’s. Kind of like those polo shirts and denim skorts I wore to my tiny Catholic school on dress down days. Yeah, it’s best that those remain in the Oughts, along with the aforementioned slipcover.

Rainesville

It's torrential rain in the city today, and I'm downtown at Volta wishing to be curled up with cozy socks in front of a fire, reading. Obviously, a fire would be the worst in the middle of the Florida summer, but you get my meaning.

Let our fires be metaphorical, then.

Still working on a way to get my videos to you all--you can expect a June TBR coming very soon as Sean and I just recently went to the library. Right now, I'm reading all over the place: middle grade fiction, a collection of essays about spinsterhood, 18th century erotic lit, and a nonfiction piece about the history of the birth control pill. It's good stuff.

I also have a summer neutrals vid in the works. I've found myself needing to wear a lot of neutral makeup lately, but I like to spice everything up with color, and I'd like to share some neutrals remixed with you.

See you soon!

xx,

Anna

My Blog Title Explanation

Hi, internet peeps! So I was talking with my friend Sally earlier this week (she writes an amazing blog called Sally Read That), and she asked me what a boquiniste is, so I figured I'd better explain the story behind my blog title.

A few years ago, I studied abroad at Cambridge University in the UK, and as part of my program, I spent a week in Paris. Paris was really interesting for me, one because I'm very introverted and I had to spend a lot of time with the same group of people who were all doing the program with me, and two because I don't feel really confident speaking French to actual French people. Yes, I could read maps, find out where I was, and have a brief conversation with the woman who ran the school cafe, but other than that, I was pretty terrified to encounter the French language.

So I turned to books. English books, that is. Turns out Paris is full of lovely little nooks for all your book reading needs, like this little place here--you may have heard of it:

In addition to the above-mentioned Mecca for bibliophiles, Paris is also home to les bouquinistes, vendors who sell a mishmash of used books from little hand carts down by the river.

When I'd walk through the city on my way to class in the morning, I'd stop by these little carts, looking for an eclectic title to take home. A bouquiniste to me is synonymous with a hidden gem, a happy accident that leads to finding your next story.

By titling myself "la belle bouquiniste," I hope to convey my love of books and all things beautiful, and that's what the name means.

See you next time!

xx Anna

May Favorites: Beauty

I live in Florida, and one of the most important things to do during summer here is hydrate and moisturize. You can do this by drinking lots of fluids (like my favorite passion iced tea), but to get your skin over the hump, I recommend the REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream. I got this as a sample in my May ipsy bag, and I love it. It's a super light moisturizer with a scent like lemons and fresh cut grass. I wear it under my makeup, or just to give my skin a boost on my no makeup days, and it's so light that I can still keep my cool in the Sunshine State.

As some of you may know, Celiac disease runs in my family. It's an autoimmune disorder that causes the body to attack itself when you ingest wheat and oats. While there is no cure, Celiac can be managed by keeping to a gluten-free diet, but what most people don't realize is that keeping your cosmetics gluten-free is just as important as avoiding bread and pasta. Think about it: you swallow a bit of your lipstick every time you eat or drink, and if it isn't GF, you can wind up feeling like you have the flu for the rest of the day. I recently discovered that Tarte Cosmetics makes excellent gluten-free lipsticks which are rich, hydrating, and buttery, not to mention super cute! I have one in the color Tulip and one in Park Avenue Princess, and I find myself reaching for them most often when I want an extra pop of color in my day.

May Favorites: Books

Hey everyone! I tried (and failed) to make my May favorites for this month into a video, so while I get my technical issues worked out, I'm going to write a blog post on them instead.

First, let's go through my favorite books for the month of May:

I read the His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman for the first time this month, and all I can say is that I can't believe I haven't read them sooner! Wow! The story follows Lyra, a young girl raised by the scholars of Jordan College, Oxford, and her daemon Pan (kind of a talking-animal projection of Lyra's personality) as they attempt to figure out why children are going missing all over England. This series has science, magic, and adventure, and it's so well written. Definitely two thumbs up. I think readers 12+ are a good match for this book.

Next, I read the first volume of the Preacher graphic novels series by Garth Ennis. This was at the recommendation of my boyfriend Sean, who's read them all before. I've been trying for the past couple of years to read more graphic novels, as that is a genre I have little experience with, and these did not disappoint. Preacher is the story of Jesse Custer, a small-town Texas preacher, who gets the literal word of God put into him. Yep, in this story, God, angels, and everything are real, and they're a bunch of sick bastards who want to make everyone miserable. This series is mature with a capital M, so read only if you can handle large amounts of drinking, cursing, and blood. I love Ennis's black, Irish sense of humor, and I can't wait to read more.

Last book I really enjoyed this month is Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris by R. A. LaFevers. It's about a young British girl named Theodosia whose parents run an Egyptology museum in turn of the century London. Theo is particularly adept at sensing and handling the magical artifacts within the museum, and she uses her smarts to thwart the Brotherhood of Chaos, a secret society bent on the total destruction of order and civilization. This is the second book in the series, and a great read for age 10+.

Welcome!

Hi internet! You may already know me as the voice of Shelf Life, as an actor in Gainesville, Florida, or just as that girl who won't stop talking about feminism in your English classes. Regardless of where or how you know me, or whether you're a complete stranger weirded out by me talking to you, welcome. This is my new blog, dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of books and beauty.

For a long time now I've been thinking of ways to transition from my project at Shelf Life over to a new blog that more accurately reflects the state of things in my life right now. It turns out the habit of procrastination I acquired as an undergrad at the University of Florida proved the perfect motivator--as part of a feature for another blogger, I was asked to provide a blog link. I realized I haven't had an active link in about six months, and so this baby was born!

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself where this blog is going. There's nothing guiding me other than my own tastes and interests, which I hope may be interesting to at least some of you. Feel free to comment with ideas about what I should write for you!

x,

Anna