This post is a bit of a combination of MQ and Favorite Things list, but I am curious about your current mini-obsessions and eager to share mine.
So:
What do you love at the moment?
What are you obsessing over?
What delights you?
My Answer:
Books:
I just finished reading a a novel by Sophie Hannah called The Monogram Murders. It is written in the style of Agatha Christie and features no other than one of my favorite literary figures – Hercule Poirot! A classic murder mystery set in a London hotel, Poirot once more outwits us all. Surely not the best of his cases, it still is a worthy heir to the impressive work of Agatha Christie. (I used to devour her books in my teens and I blame a lot of my English on the educational power of her books.)
I’m looking forward to read The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time by Mark Haddon and the new Joyce Carol Oates novel My Sister, My Love, both gifts from lovely fumie friends.
TV:
My husband and I are currently watching the second season of the series Mr Selfridge. It tells the story of the American Harry Gordon Selfridge and his life’s work, the inception and running of Selfridge’s on London’s Oxford Street. Jeremy Piven marvellously portraits the charismatic and ever positive self made man and is supported by a cast of wonderful British actors. I love how you get a feel for the time, get to see glimpses of perfumes of the time (Guerlain, Coty, Penhaligon’s galore!) and I adore the various British accents. Highly recommended viewing!
Perfume:
I’m kind of getting in the mood for Hermès Cuir d’Ange at the moment. I initially dismissed it because I didn’t get on with a perceived plastic note that was quite dominant for me. Now in colder weather the violet is more prominent and I get a smooth leather instead of a new car/doll head vibe. Testing continues…
Random Stuff:
I am loving the colour burgundy (Rouge H for acolytes of The Orange) very much right now. A gorgeous scarf, a warm woolen hat, even a cosy blanket for curling up on the couch are all in this deep, dark red hue that makes me happy. Lipstick is a good way to live the love for this colour too. Current favorites are Clinique Black Honey, Fresh Sugar Plum Lip Treatment and Burberry Prune lipstick.
Sidenote: The Husband calls every fancy colour Cranberry, no matter if its actually cerulean blue, moss green or steel gray, as long as it is not a straightforward yellow or green or blue he calls it cranberry. I think it warrants this side note that for once he is almost right. 🙂
Unattainable Dreams:
I could add a lot to this category, but for now my dreams ar haunted by a vintage Rouge H box calf Kelly. Perfection. ‘Nuff said.
What are your current loves and interests?
Olfactoria's Travels 
Lovely post to open the New Year – back at my desk today after the holidays doing my prep for the coming weeks but couldn’t resist a quick read of OT! Wishing everyone here a fantastic 2015.
Season 3 of Mr Selfridge just about to show on British TV, love it too. (Book by Lindy Woodhead brilliant). Will definitely seek out the new Poirot book and love your winter colours – your burgundy my plum – think dark cranberry!
Back to the question in hand: current obsession is lino cutting and making prints. Father Christmas bought me some lovely Swiss tools to replace my schoolgirl ones as well as some rollers and some fantastic German inks, Italian paper, a Japanese baren and a very simple American Proofing press. Anything to do with relief printing. I am not very good at it but I love doing it.
Perfume Obsession is Theo Fennell – friend gave me an unwanted bottle last year and I didn’t pay much attention to it. Now it’s what I’m wearing every day – bit on the naughty side for work but it makes you feel very glamorous in a vintage sort of way.
Keep up the good work Birgit.
Oh, I love that you are into printing, Lila. What a great hobby!
I can imagine that the Theo Fennel suits you perfectly.
Thanks for sharing your current loves.
This is a lovely distraction on my first day back at work after the holidays. Argh.
The Curious Incident is a very unique, memorable book, B. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I’ve finally got round to The Crimson Petal and the White so I have one foot in London 2015 and the other in London 1875.
I’m also reading Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes which I got for Christmas. It’s a great book for beauty and skincare basics as well as loads of useful tips.
LOL at cranberry!
I hope the work day goes smoothly, Tara.
It must be lovely to have one foot in London 1875.
I love your burgundy B. Will check out the TV show and book as well. Santa brought me lots of art supplies and paint so I converted the dining room into an art room over New Year and have been painting since. This winter I discovered Pawpaw lip ointment and this is the first winter in Austria where my lips are not cracking and bleeding. Perfume wise I got one spritz of Mohur Extrait on New years Eve and have been obsessing about it since.
So great that you are busy painting! Looking forward to the vernissage! 😉
Glad you finally found a perfect lip balm.
Falling in love with classical handbags is painful.., I’d rather not go there.
For the last two weeks my favourite things were mostly food, drink and being under the duvet. Lovely, but not exactly healthy, and some discipline will be needed. Not too much though, as in 2 weeks we will be off to Thailand. So, apart from looking forward to the holiday, my other obsessions are: Sigmar Polke (went to see the massive exhibition last week), all things Japanese and as always: the cats.
Have a wonderful time in Thailand! It will be amazing, I’m sure.
I quite like the idea of food, drink and duvet too… 😉
As other commentors I write this as a short break from the Monday 5th January duties! I am reading the Inspector Gamache series, found him on BdJ, a very kind Canadian Detective Inspector who smells of rosewater and sandalwood…Highly recommended for easy, well written not superficial and definitely not gory crime reading. Love Cuir d’Ange after being given a travel size spray, a very refined, chic and on my skin longlasting Hermessence. Besides Downton which shows on Dutch tv we’ve been watching Shetland a BBC detective series, if you love Scotland or the Shetlands highly recommended, and again not too gory or gruesome, with a very humane Detective Inspector.
Thanks for the Shetland recommendation, I will look into it.
Glad to hear you enjoy Cuir d’Ange. I’m glad I didn’t give up right away (well, it being a JCE creation with a fabulous name did help!) 😉
The Monogram Murders is going on my to-read list now. It looks very good. 🙂 I loved “The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime” and look forward to your thoughts. And Burgundy is such a pretty colour.
I hope you will enjoy The Monogram Murders, Jim!
No vintage purse obsessions here- I recently sold all my designer bags except for 2 that I use all the time (low end designers, mind you- no Hermes). My perfume obsessions as always are with fragrances with iris, rose and violet, my 3 favorite notes. Iris is in the forefront currently, Viktoria Minya’s Hedonist Iris (heavenly) and The Vagabond Prince Swan Princess (equally heavenly but different) and Houbigant’s Champs de Iris. I think I need a bottle of Hedonist Iris.
Books I’m reading are 2 non-fiction books, “The Boys in the Boat,” about the U.S. crew (rowing) team that won the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and “Quiet- the Power of Introverts.” Both are well written and very good. The “Boys in the Boat” reads just like fiction- it’s a powerful story and very engaging. I am reading it aloud to my husband when we are driving long distances (he drives and I ride). It makes the time go so much faster. Reading aloud used to be a major form of entertainment for people before the internet, radio and TV and it needs to make a comeback!
Thank you for the book tips, rickyrebarco!
I read aloud a lot to my children of course, but I agree with you that it should make a comeback for adults too. I wish I could read in the car, but I get motion-sick right away. 😦
Fascinating to see the lists here. I’m not doing so much right now (recovering from a cold), but I have been rereading Elizabeth Peters’ series of mystery novels set in Egypt – they have a husband/wife team of archaeologists as protagonists, and are set in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. The author had a doctorate in Egyptology and turned to mystery and suspense thrillers to support herself and her children, so there’s a lot of interesting information about ancient Egypt in them. I am also trying to persuade myself that I do not need another vintage shearling coat – I buy them cheapish on ebay, and in my defense, it’s a different color than my present coat. (A prime example of specious reasoning, I suppose …)
Those books sound very interesting, thank you!
I hope your cold is on the way out.
I say gofor the shearling! 🙂
As of colour I’m happily back to black 😀
Via Joanna Rakoff’s A Fortunate Age I got to The Group by Mary McCarthy – excellent reading
Talking about obsession : I seem to be having it for TV series, the last one is True Detective and cannot wait to get Mad Men VII…
Happy anticipation : birthday in Venice
BTW, cranberry must be stunning on you (just like burgundy, or however we call it 😀)
As black suits you so well back to black is perfect.
I always thought burgundy would make me even paler, but if it is the right hue it works. (And it is Rouge H, not cranberry!!! 😉 )
True Detective is simply fabulous! I was glued in front of the TV! Those two actors have always been among my favorites, now they delivered the performances of their lives!!!
Yes, those two are afb fab !
Oh, I forgot to mention my current favobrites/wishlist in perfume : Black Gemstone by SHL and Russian Tea by Masque Milano
Must smell those two eventually since you love them so.
Favourite things right this week; Breaking Bad, rediscovering reading offline – currently a 1958 first edition of Iris Murdoch’s The Bell that was my dad’s – and knitting (a coat for a greyhound called Mary). I don’t crave expensive bags, for I would be so worried I would write on the lining with biro. Seem to do that eventually with all my handbags. And given that I ‘wrote’ on the sofa with muddy Christmas tree not once but twice this holiday, I can’t be trusted with valuable items, hehe. I have also managed to pluck my new silk pillowcase in the wash somehow, sadly.
That should be a colon!
I have regular Iris Murdoch phases, she was amazing.
The thing with expensive bags is to put nothing in them directly, i.e. the pouch system! 😉
Aha, along the same lines as laundering your smalls in a mesh bag. Ain’t going to happen in this haphazard household, sadly. There is additionally the not inconsiderable issue of edge chafing. I have an expensive Texier briefcase that Mr Bonkers gave me and over time I scraped the edges exposing a white under-layer, which was more upsetting than if it had cost less. I don’t think luxury goods and I are happy bedfellows. Far too accident-prone, as the recent silliness with the Xmas tree bears out!
I also loved reading Christie’s Poirot mysteries back in the day 🙂 At first I didn’t catch the author name and I was going to be extremely excited that somehow I missed one! However, I will still put this one on my reading list. As for my current favorite things, the only things I can think of (and you might wonder what this says about my life…) are really lovely soft and warm thermal underwear and lemon hibiscus tea. It is rather cold outside in these parts!
Well, nothing better than a blanket, hot tea and an Agatha Christie novel when it’s cold outside. 🙂
I love the color burgundy, too, Birgit. It’s such a classy color, arresting yet restrained enough that it would never be called “bold.” That Kelly bag you featured is to-die for.
My current loves/interests:
Reading the novel “Beautiful Ruins” by Jess Walters, a story which takes place on a tiny village on the Italian coast. Just started it, but am hooked by the author’s writing style, which is luminous and thoughtful but also displays wonderful splashes of humor.
Films, many, but really fell in love with the Keira Knightley film, “Begin Again,” in which she plays a singer-songwriter who records an album in a very spontaneous way, on the streets of New York City. The music is terrific – she has a great voice, perfectly suited to Indie folk/rock. Have also really enjoyed seeing Kristen Wiig’s latest films, “Hateship, Loveship” and “The Skeleton Twins” … darker movies, but in a quiet, offbeat way.
Perfume … a variety, as usual, but it seems that two days out of every week, I’m wearing Amouage Epic Woman. I’m surprised by how it’s become an enduring love.
To die for is exactly right! 😉
Your book and movie tips go right on my list, thank you.
Well, I just discovered Pinterest and am a bit embarrassed to admit that I’m loving it. It’s helping me keep track of so many things in a very pretty way (and helping me discover inspirational quotes, which I have a serious need for at the moment). At least it isn’t Twitter or Tumblr.
I’ve been reading so much recently (books are as helpful as motivational quotes, you know) and have loved The Essays of E.B. White; Wind, Sand, and Stars by Exupery; The Painted Veil; and too many others. My favorite book of the year though was A Prayer for Owen Meany. Won’t be getting over that one ever.
I never have really watched television (other than wedding dress shows) and our cable is currently not happening (and I don’t really miss it) so it’s been lots of movies for me. My movie of the year was probably V for Vendetta, The Phantom of the Opera (2004), or maybe Dark Victory with Bette Davis. I also recently really enjoyed The Prestige, Rushmore (huge Wes Anderson fan) and House of the Flying Daggers (flying warrior movies are a guilty pleasure).
Perfume… where to begin? I fell in love with Prairie Nymph and Incensed by Smell bent. Can’t wait to try more from them. Une Voix Noire by Serge Lutens I got to test two days ago. Possibly instant love. There’s been a lot to love this year. Jardins d’Armide, Santal Carmin, Nuit de Noel, Parfum Sacre, Akkad. I can’t go on.
Random pretty things… Pendleton blankets. So beautiful. And beach towels.
A Prayer for Owen Meany has stayed with me as well for years now! Such a fantastic book with memorable characters.
Pinterest seems like a good idea, but I haven’t yet gotten around to it.
Must research Pendleton blankets asap.
Honestly, my current obsession is getting enough sleep. 🙂 But I’m obviously not obsessed enough as I’m still not managing that.
That said, I kind of got hooked on Castle TV show.
My current perfume obsession, obtaining a bit of Ambre Sultan as I just realized my decant is empty. And I don’t need more than that what with all other ambers in my collection.
And one of my wishes is starting pilates at home. I’m a bit pressed for time so it’s difficult for me to go to set classes and I know enough to follow videos that can be found online. I just have to make myself do it regularly at home… We’ll see how that goes…
Lack of sleep is truly awful! I hope you get to sleep in on the weekend at least! I dimly remember that concept from before the kids… 😉
I do yoga and Pilates at home and it works well. I can highly recommend Erin Motz and DoYouYoga.
Thank you! I’ll check it out.