2-8-2026 MY FAVES: a goodbye to the lovers and a skifest listening guide

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 what i'm reading...

big news - i finally finished belle du seigneur. 
this was a big project. i enjoy a classic challenge. the timeline when i got the book worked against me, as i freshly returned from cro, celebrated my birthday and 5 holidays, and my time was elsewhere instead of reading. the most progress i got was during these snow days.
the final 200 pages were an emotional ride back down from the height of peak love affair. it was painful, toxic, and frustrating. the main characters showed their weaknesses. yet it was a great lesson on communication and honesty being crucial in a relationship. 
i was sad and nostalgic after finishing the book, which i expressed by groaning to sib on how i hated everyone in the book. for 2 and a half months, this was my slow burn book. the author described the characters, locations, and events in such intricate detail i felt part of this experience. i knew solal and ariane. the toxic love affair that could've been perfect proved that no human is perfect, no human is worthy of idolizing to the point of sickness. 

as a palate cleanser, i opted to the light and bright salvatore ferragamo spring/summer 1997 catalog i thrifted last weekend. no text, just beautiful visuals. the pages were bold, colorful, and juxtaposing - in hue, pattern and material.
i recently read paperdoll sammy's substack article on the patchwork silk scarf dress from 1998. both of these pieces of media are inspiring me to thrift silk scarves and beg sib to dust off the sewing machine.

what i'm listening to...

coming off the high of skifest. when in the croatian community we're obviously more croatian-adjacent, listening to our mediterranean beats that corelate to drinking and late nights on the dance floor.
if you're curious to hear what got me in the perfect apres-ski mood, have a listen here. this personal playlist has some underrated croatian classics, and a bit of luxurious jazz, mixed with positive beats to awaken my inner olympian. 



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