Muses — Whispers from the Wings

“Tell me, Muse, of the man of many ways” The Odyssey

Literature

Reading Disclaimer

I’m one of those people who reads three books at the same time. I’m also a little eccentric about how I read…

The nonfiction self improvement or philosophy books I will listen to on audible usually if they’re narrated by the author. I have a visceral reaction to some people’s reading voices and can only listen to dry content narrated to me- I don’t know why its a pet peeve I had that I wish I could get over. My fiction novel is usually easy reading bedtime escapism and that will be read on my kindle because it don’t have to worry about hoisting the heavy books and pages to and froe when I’m falling asleep. The last book is the physical book that sits on my bedside table and is usually a classic work of fiction right now I have Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein on my bedside table because what is cozier than cuddling up with a cup of tea on a cold winter night and reading about ghosts and monsters.

What I’m reading now:

Audio Book- The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

Kindle: The Odyssey

Physical Book: My libretto of '“Die Fledermaus” because I need to memorize my lines!

Next on my reading list…

Audio Book- All the Way to the River- Elizabeth Gilbert

Kindle- Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney

Physical Book- The Sorrows of Young Werther by Wolgang Von Goethe

Reading List-what I’ve read this year

Non-fiction Audio Books

The Book of Boundaries- Melissa Urban
Big Magic- Elizabeth Gilbert
Daring Greatly- Brene Brown
Dare to Lead- Brene Brown
Rising Strong-Brene Brown
How to win friends and influence people- Dale Carnegie
The Power of Now- Eckhart Tolle
The Happiness Hypothesis- Jonathan Haidt
Meditations-Marcus Aurelius

Fiction ( I’m a sucker for the NY Times best seller and Reese’s Reading list and always curious about what is popular)

The Summer I Turned Pretty Series- Jenny Han
Outlander (Books 1-5) Dianna Gabraldon
It Ends with Us- Colleen Hoover
The Secret History- Donna Tart

Art

Painting

Monet, Mucha, Degas, Renoir, Rembrandt,

Architecture

Gothic, Neoclassical, Classical, Craftsman, MidCentury Modern, Victorian, Queen Ann, Art Deco, Art Noveau, Belle Epoque, French Renaissance, Midcentury Modern

Fashion

YSL, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Saks 5th Ave, Pendleton, Frye, Kuhl, Steve Madden, Bernardo, Banana Republic, Apt 9, Lands End,J Crew, Community Aritzia

If these brands seem fancy-they’re thrifted and I also love shopping ebay for luxurious fabrics without the need for it to be a designer-natural fibers like wool and silk and linen.

My style Aesthetic

Art- Artwork purchased in 2025 was to go on a gallery wall in our foyer that my husband and I created. We had original oil paintings that had been in our collection for years and we focused on purchases that varied in style and subject.

Fashion- My ebay history shows I purchased some cashmere sweaters in navy and black- ideal closet staples. I love high waisted skirts because I find them most flattering on my frame so I purchased a Ralph Lauren Vintage long wool skirt I found on ebay and also recently found an olive green suede Steve Madden Skirt and Jacket from Nordstroms Rack that I’ve enjoyed styling. I wear a lot of plaid, herringbone generally with a solid autumnal color palette. I’m drawn to Edwardian and 40’s fashion as well as 1960’s looks and very classic sillhouettes. I keep a capsule wardrobe for my workweek for my base layers but change up jackets and how I style it to keep things simple when I don’t have the bandwidth to choose.

Music

Work Playlist: Music pleasant, doesn’t distract, peace, calm, helps me to create

A Bed of Flowers-Million Eyes

There Will Be Rain- Million Eyes

Ballerina- Yehezkel Raz

By the Border- Lama House

Luna- David Ross Lawn

Airy-Fairy Heart- Franz Gordon

Aldebran- S.A. Karl

Somewhere in Between- Jacob LaVallee

Perfectly Splendid- The Newton Brothers

The Art Teacher- Franz Gordon

Opera: Repertoire I’m working on

“How beautiful it is” The Turn of the Screw- Benjamin Britten

“La Luce Langue” Macbeth- Guiseppe Verdi

“Black Swan” and “Monica’s Waltz” The Medium- Gian Carlo Menotti

“ Casta Diva”- Norma- Vincenzo Bellini

“Sola Perdutta Abbandonata”-Manon Lescaut- Puccini

What I’m jamming out to lately:

Hozier, The Head and the Heart, Bon Iver, Lana Del Rey, Lindsey Stirling, Arkai,Fleetwood Mac, Melody Gardot, Ben Howard, The Lumineers, Taylor Swift, Father John Misty, Leon Bridges