november report
on taking a break between jobs, little rituals for mid-autumn, things I'm loving right now, book stack, and photo vignettes from london
fall break
as of this writing, I’m unemployed. between jobs. purposefully in the blank space separating the last words of a chapter and the title of the next. it’s a glacially slow, languid time filled with all the things I love but often don’t have the energy to do on weekends when I’m trying to recoup from work.
my fervent wish is that everyone takes breaks between jobs, because it’s a rare opportunity to willfully be unemployed, on your own terms, and see what it’s like to live life without the strings of capitalism. what do you do with yourself when work isn’t looming over you. what surfaces? what tugs? what feels warm? time slows enough to actually hear these questions, and maybe even have the energy to answer them. it’s the most beautiful, delicious gift you can give yourself. If you can afford it, and that’s obviously a big if.
so it’s my privilege and honor to be in the middle of 2 weeks off from work. not a lot of time, but it’s enough. 2 weeks at home doing some things, but—and this is important—largely doing nothing. because rest will not happen if I’m on vacation or busying myself to satisfy my capitalist programming.
and even despite that intention, I’m reminding myself every day to slow down. I have this list (because I’m never without a list) of things I want to do—easy, nourishing things like get a library card, make pumpkin bread, knit, go thrifting, deep clean the cabinets, read, learn. but there’s still a push-and-pull between feeling cozily unspooled, and messily unstructured and it’s uncomfortable.
did I get enough done today? what can I cross off? why did it take me 3 hours to eat breakfast, make coffee and get ready? I’ve wasted too much time. It’s already 1 week in, do I feel rested enough? am I doing this right?
so I’m doing my best to let the nagging thoughts and questions come, linger, and depart peacefully. to continue checking off the things that feel warm in the moment, and letting the rest wait its turn. to give myself the permission to change my mind and not stick to something, however fulfilling, just because it was the plan. to feel intuition’s gentle tug and let it guide me.
book stack
I did good on my fall reading list. these are recently finished.
a witch’s guide to magical innkeeping by sangu mandanna
5/5 highly recommend
similar in vibe to mandanna’s other cozy witch read, the very secret society of irregular witches, this one takes place in britain’s autumn and winter. it’s about confronting the darkest part of yourself. mandanna writes beautifully and believably—also she’s hilarious—and the audiobooks narrated by samara maclaren are divine. both are comfort books I’ll come back to again and again.
a dark and secret magic by wallis kinney
3.5/5 recommend exclusively as an october read
this was a cute, if prosaic, story about a hedge witch living in ipswitch, ma in the days leading up to halloween. it’s a take on the persephone-hades myth, with a weird amount of food and cooking descriptions, but I liked it as a way to lean into the season.
katabasis by r. f. kuang
5/5 recommend
since quitting instagram, I’m quite out of the loop on what books are going viral (staff rec shelves are now my compass) but it seems this was one of them? for a very good reason. it’s amazing. a sharp, witty, and unique story about witches willfully going through the 8 circles of hell in search of something they lost, bridging witchcraft, philosophy, logic, religion, and literature.
sappho poems & fragments translated by josephine balmer
5/5 recommend
sappho’s words make me wish I were a researcher of ancient greece. I know there’s so much historical context I missed, but her soft, lyrical style is alluring all the same. reading a woman’s poetry that survived 2,600 years is moving on a singular level.
the moon that turns you back by hala alyan
4/5 recommend if you like poetry and are okay with being confused
poems from a palestinian-american, calling the reader to bear witness to trauma, tragedy, and loss. not cozy or easy, but important. her writing style is convoluted while sharply evocative, like a fast-moving dream or flashbacks that rip through time and space. themes of miscarriages, immigration and displacement, familial loss, and moving are consistent throughout.
medea: a novel by eilish quin
3.75/5 recommend
greek mythology retellings are a favorite genre of mine. this one is about the witch and necromancer, medea. an interesting attempt to frame medea’s most egregious acts in a new way. I took some issues with her writing style, which can be overly descriptive, and the ending.
frankenstein by mary shelley
5/5 recommend
I read this book in high school and remember it being good, but as an adult—it’s incredible. one of the best books I’ve ever read.
up next: bury our bones in the midnight soil by v. e. schwab
if anyone has recommendations for cozy december / christmas / winter reads, share them plssss.
sinking into mid-autumn
movies & shows — I’m not quite ready for christmas media, so in this sleepy space leading up to thanksgiving, I’m feeling period pieces. here are some of my favorites.
pride & prejudice (1995, 2005)
emma (2020)
sense & sensibility (1995)
outlander, blood of my blood
my lady jane
downton abbey
bridgerton
persuasion (2022)
the favourite
little women (2019, I personally save this for decembers)
also fleabag because it’s the 2nd best show ever made
playlists — it’s jazz-classical-folk-gregorian-chant season.
rituals — giving autumn her space, not rushing into christmas.
as the weather cools and sunlight shrinks, shifting my routine feels empowering. in anticipation of my new job, I’ve been experimenting with a new schedule. instead of exercising late mornings (which worked nicely when I was working remotely), I’m exploring going to the gym in the afternoons and saving mornings for slow, restorative movement like 15-20 minutes of stretching or a short walk.
writing every morning, even if only for 5 minutes, whether it’s journaling, freewriting or substack.
hot cacao & bone broth. sounds weird, tastes amazing (like an umami hot chocolate), feels even better in my body. with broth from a local farm, a couple tablespoons of cacao powder, local honey or vermont maple syrup, cinnamon, collagen, sea salt, water, oat milk. sometimes will add turmeric and black pepper for extra anti-inflammatory benefits. heated on the stove and mixed with a hand frother.
reading everywhere. morning, evening, on walks, in the car, at the pub.
lighting candles when I wake up, and whenever the sun sets. every dimly lit moment becomes romantic.
making enormous batches of soup so leftovers last a week.
putting effort into my outfits. and not just because I’ll have to by virtue of going into the office of my new job (which might be painful if I hadn’t spent the past 5 years working from home, so I’m actually quite excited). but because all my favorite pieces and outfits are for cold weather and I don’t want to spend another season wishing I’d worn this or that more often.
using my moodboards not just to manifest, but to create. like referencing outfits I’ve saved to get dressed or outfit plan for a trip (in accordance with the above). like pinning things I want to thrift or antique, and actually thrifting or antiquing them. like admiring photos for the mood they create, and recreating it through my own lens.
things I’m loving
chunky lace-up loafers from sézane. the gasp that escaped me when I unboxed these. they’re incredibly chic with a luggy edge, look perfect with socks, tights and a skirt (ie, newenglandcore), and any pair of pants. obsessed.
espresso corduroys from everlane. the texture of the wide ribbing is professorial plus elegant plus 90s, and they’re super warm.
antique silver bowls and trays. thrifted from my local antique shop—the tottering, teetering kind with 4 levels and buried treasure in every nook and cranny. I’d love a full set of serveware right now, but am exercising patience and letting the right pieces find me.
egg upgrade. started adding garlic, ginger and onions to my daily half-scrambled eggs for the anti-inflammatory benefits—which is honestly a pain and I’ve always hated chopping onion and garlic—but joke’s on me because this combo is 10/10.
dark cherry lip stain from benefit cosmetics. finally FINALLY lipstick that lasts *crying*. I’ve been on a fruitless years-long journey to find a deep red lip color that doesn’t transfer or dry out my lips, and this stain is The One. in just 3 layers, I have the dark cherry lips of my vampiric dreams. the color lightens a bit after eating a drinking, but I can swipe another layer on the go, or let it fade nicely over several hours. plus if I dab a bit more on my cheeks on a bare face, I can get that
mini holiday in london photo essay
had a chance for a bite-sized romp in london, and I don’t think any amount of time could be long enough, but an over-powered benefit of now being on the east coast means it’s easier and faster for me to travel to the UK than to see my family in california. i’ll be back in a flash.
gobs of pub food, arsenal football game, booksbooksbooks, gallons of coffee and tea, tens of thousands of steps, a lot of old shit, and romance around every corner.
thank you for being here. it means everything to me.
<3 anieca
The vibe in this post is off the charts. Adding all your 5/5 books to my list!
This is THE fall post. So cozy and thoughtfully written, as always. And beautiful photography! Congrats on the new job 🥰