The Land of Stories - The Enchantress Returns | Chris Colfer

Personally, as an adult, I enjoyed the first book the most, but I see how this series will have staying power for the age group it was made for and I am excited to see how my daughter reacts to this series when she’s old enough to read them.

Rules For A Knight - Ethan Hawke

Deep and heavy values and life morals packaged beautifully concise in a small and easy to carry novel. I will never let this book out of my sight. Being a sucker for allegories and anything remotely symbolic, Rules for a Knight gives tangible life insight under the guise of a character’s letter for his children. Highly recommend.

Searching for Sunday | Rachel Held Evens

Being raised in an Evangelical Mega Church I have struggled into my adult years to find a version of my faith that matched what my spirit knows to be true about my real living faith. I believe God is real. I believe God is both he / her. I believe Jesus died as a living sacrifice to break the turmoil of humanity… and I also believe we continue to make a mess of things. We, meaning the world and we, meaning the church. In this beautiful book Rachel gives us her struggle and her aches regarding the North American church culture and why it’s hard to grapple with the faith we know we have and the religious construct we were pushed into.
If I felt anything after reading this book, it was solidarity with another woman’s heart beating next to mine.

I hope she knew before she died that she was helping to heal a generation of women with her words.

Stop Walking on Eggshells | Paul T. Mason

A personal read to understand the breadth of humanity better. We would all be so much more tender, aware and capable of holding space and boundaries if we understood each other better.

TV SERIES / FILMS of NOTE

The Handmaids Tale S05 - Because it continues to remind us why it’s important to put the needs and values of women in the centre.
The Mountain Between Us - an unexpected quietly powerful film on humanity in survival mode.
Inventing Anna - A fictional / partly almost all true series on Anna Delvey aka Anna Sorokin. A fascinating series on the personality of Anna, the reporter that wrote on her and the world that made Anna’s fraud possible.

Flat-lay of objects on a wooden table: A green box with the words in gold “Writers Tears”, black headphones, a small green book called Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke, An illustrations of a girl in a quilt holding her phone outside of herself in one hand. A white gourd. Part of a autumnal floral pattern on a pillow.

I am amazed that Autumn has came and progressed as fast as it has. Here are a few of my favourite autumnal things.

Writers Tears Whiskey | NSLC

I have grown to appreciate sips of Whiskey over the colder months & alongside new episodes of Outlander. It felt timely that I would come across this right after signing a contract I worked hard to get. A truly creamy experience. The box rests in my office bookshelf as a reminder of the work it takes to get where you need to go next.

Sennheiser HD 25 Headphones | Long & McQuade

As I am embracing my passions and work in audio documentary storytelling I figure the headphones good enough for BBC reporters are good enough for me. So far they have been comfortable, easy to use and allow me to hear what I am recording without being too bulky in the filed.

Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke | Gift from a Bestie

I am not sure how she knew this book was on my radar, but either way, I adore Ethan Hawke’s take on life and creativity. I found his work and life phlilosohys at just the right time and I am so moved by the projects he chooses. Rules for a Knight is a beautiful little collection of ways to go about life in the guise of a long ago Knight leaving notations for his children in case he passes before he can tell them.

Speak to Me! Beth Freeman Illustration Art | Beth Freeman

Beth illustrated this beautiful image for an article and audio piece I created for CBC & CBC Radio. During such a vulnerable time (year one of the pandemic) I found such peace and solace in Beths imagery. I am finally getting around to framing this gem.

Gourds | Local Purchases

Last year I bought a velvet pumpkin decor item from Winners and returned it after living with it for a week. I personally can’t get around buying decor items that come from nature naturally. Although being a seasonal purchase, these purchases remind me that I am supporting local farms who grow gourds and pumpkins for this very purpose. I love how nature creates the curls in the stems and the shapes of each one.

Autumnal Pillow cover | Chapters

This floral pillow covers are as floral as I get. (outside of real flowers)
I love the autumnal atmosphere of this print and I have been waiting for an autumn pillow cover for my set that I liked enough to purchase.