Since graduating from college I literally have all the time in the world to catch up on my reading. I have yet to find a full-time job, still, and so I've taken it upon myself to read as many books as I can while I'm still in this transition period. I have no idea how long this period will last, but I'm hoping I can read all of the books on my wishlist before time is up! Are any of you on Goodreads? It's probably the best site to keep up-to-date with books you've read in the past, books you're reading right now and books you want to read in the future. Not only can you "check-in" with your status of reading, but you can connect with friends and find recommendations of books that are similar to ones you've read. I'm all about that, and so I've come up with a list of books that are so my taste and that appeal to my heart strings. I won't be bringing any of these to a stylish location, but you can be sure my bed is where I'll be reading them!

1. The Secret of Raven Point by Jennifer Vanderbes:  When seventeen-year-old Juliet Dufresne receives a cryptic letter from her enlisted brother and then discovers that he’s been reported missing in action, she lies about her age and travels to the front lines as an army nurse, determined to find him.

2. The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan: The Opposite of Loneliness is an assem­blage of Marina’s essays and stories that, like The Last Lecture, articulates the universal struggle that all of us face as we figure out what we aspire to be and how we can harness our talents to make an impact on the world.

3. Love & Treasure by Ayelet Waldman: A spellbinding new novel of contraband masterpieces, tragic love, and the unexpected legacies of forgotten crimes.

4. A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams: Memorial Day, 1938: New York socialite Lily Dane has just returned with her family to the idyllic oceanfront community of Seaview, Rhode Island, expecting another placid summer season among the familiar traditions and friendships that sustained her after heartbreak. 

5. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb: In the class of the high school English teacher she has been haunting, Helen feels them: for the first time in 130 years, human eyes are looking at her. They belong to a boy, a boy who has not seemed remarkable until now. And Helen--terrified, but intrigued--is drawn to him.

6. Flora by Gail Godwin: Ten-year-old Helen and her summer guardian, Flora, are isolated together in Helen's decaying family house while her father is doing secret war work in Oak Ridge during the final months of World War II.At three Helen lost her mother and the beloved grandmother who raised her has just died.

7. All The Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld: A stunningly insightful, emotionally powerful new novel about an outsider haunted by an inescapable past: a story of loneliness and survival, guilt and loss, and the power of forgiveness.

8. Wake by Anna Hope: A brilliant debut for readers of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, in which three women must deal with the aftershocks of WWI and its impact on the men in their lives—a son, a brother and a lover. Their tragic connection is slowly revealed as the book unfolds.

9. My Notorious Life by Kate Manning: Axie’s story begins on the streets of 1860s New York. The impoverished child of Irish immigrants, she grows up to become one of the wealthiest and most controversial women of her day.

10. The Widow Waltz by Sally Koslow: Georgia Waltz has things many people only dream of: a plush Manhattan apartment overlooking Central Park, a Hamptons beach house, valuable jewels and art, two bright daughters, and a husband she adores, even after decades of marriage.

What is on your spring/summer book list?! 

Always,
Mostly Lisa

So what do you guys think of this sweet trend?!

 

 

Happy April, ladies! It is very hard to believe it's already here... It does not feel one ounce of it being spring and so that's probably why I am having a hard time believing that we are in it and so close to it being summer. Guess what we're supposed to be getting later on tonight here in the Twin Cities? Snow.. and lots of it. Please let this be a belated April Fool's joke! Please?! I'd rather have rain than snow, I'd rather have anything besides it. If we got rain then we would get some beautiful colors, so I'm here to bring some inspration to Mother Nature to give them to us. So, with this I hope you all have a beautiful April that inspires you.

 

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Always,

Mostly Lisa

March is zooming by already and we're finally getting closer to my favorite season. Spring will hopefully be here before we know it and along with it comes those lovely rain and thunderstorms! To be prepared for this new weather change, I've rounded up some of my favorite raincoats that will be perfect for this season. London Fog, which makes incredible trenchcoats, has a new collab they just released yesterday with several different designers. The one featured, made by Chris Benz, is my absolute favorite! Take a look at an early design sketch and some other more affordable choices.

 Happy 1st of March everyone! It's very hard to believe we're already in the third month of 2014 and quickly approaching spring! I, for one, am very happy about this revelation and wanted to share a great trend to make the transition into the new season super easy for you all.

  

Hunter green. That's what fashion experts are saying is the 'it' color for this upcoming season and I'm pretty happy about it. While some of you might think of it as being more of a fall color, it instantly makes me think of St. Patrick's Day and all things Irish, so you can't really go wrong in that area. In Lucky magazine's March issue, Alexis Bryan Morgan says, "It's sort of...the new oxblood." She also says that you can mix and contrast the color with brighter pastels, or a great hue of navy to give it a richer feel. The other benefit of this great color is that it also goes with the official color for 2014, Radiant Orchid and I personally like mixing navy and green together so I think I am definitely going to incorporate it into my wardrobe when I am able to finally update it for this season. Check out some great runway looks that featured this color and then I put together a fun outfit that I am thinking of buying in a heartbeat!

 

MANGO Chiffon Blouse | Leather Vintage Cross Body Bag | Kate Spade Mini Bow Bracelet | Old Navy Plus Size Trousers | DONDUP Scarf | Rag & Bone Tall Boots | Fine & Sandy Blazer in Noir

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