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Goose was the main course of choice for British families in the Victorian period – you may recall that in A Christmas Carol the Cratchit family have saved up for one (fun fact – in Victorian London, you could buy into a sort of goose share where you paid a shilling a week for ten weeks and at the end you got a goose and a bottle of gin), so I thought that we ought to have one on the table at Beaconsfield. I made it out of recycling, tape, papier-mâché, and Christmas enthusiasm, and I'm pretty amused that it has subsequently been featured on the CBC more than once. I made the Christmas Pudding last year, so I'm slowly building up a collection of fake holiday foods.
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Image Description: The table, set for Christmas with both goose and pudding!
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Image Description: Two books and a snoozing Bruce.
November was all romance novels all the time and I have no regrets! I continued on my year of Cat Sebastian fandom with an extremely cozy series, Hither, Page and The Missing Page, two mystery romances set in England just after WWII. A surgeon with PTSD has returned home from the war to settle into the life of a country doctor. A spy questioning his purpose in a post-war world has been sent to a little village to investigate a fishy murder. Together they get to the bottom of a mystery and fall in love. Then they stay in love and solve another mystery in the second book! I feel like this series is a BBC show just begging to be made, and I loved the supporting cast of suspicious oddballs.
A Restless Truth is the second book in a historical fantasy romance series that began with A Marvellous Light (which I reviewed here in 2021) and it manages to beautifully meld mystery, magical shenanigans, and sweet romance. It’s essentially a whodunnit on an Edwardian cruise ship full of magicians and circus animals, with a pair of unlikely lady detectives who are definitely going to fall for each other – if they don’t end up murdered!
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Image Description: A book on a pink coverlet.
As for December, there has been precious little time for reading, but I am determined to follow in the grand Victorian tradition of ghost stories at Christmas and continue my Shirley Jackson journey with Hill House. I’m only a few chapters in, but already I’m deeply impressed with her straightforward but beautiful prose and her extremely brutal observations from the inside of an anxious mind.
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Image Description: A book on a blue blanket.
My decision to dive into Jackson’s work was inspired by an intriguing video about her that my husband Magill edited for Rue Morgue magazine – I highly recommend checking it out! And while you’re at it, I also think you’ll enjoy this look back at the original Creature from the Black Lagoon.
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Crafting
When you have a model like C.S.E. Cooney visiting, you most definitely cajole her into wearing your November wreath! Not only is she a total stunner, but she’s also willing to freeze her tootsies off scampering through the frosty fields in a costume better suited to summer. She is truly a kindred spirit!
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Image Description: Claire under the waxing moon. Claire in the golden hour.
I called this wreath The Queen of Summer’s Memory because it was made of flowers and herbs from the garden that I had dried throughout the summer: strawflowers, celosia, basil, sage, rosemary, lavender, poppy pods, and hydrangea. Taking these pictures was a beautiful moment in an even more beautiful visit. If you don’t already follow Claire online, I highly recommend that you start so that you know about all of her incredible creative projects. Find her here.
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Enchanting
In which two Edwardian ladies meet for tea and gossip, then slip beyond the bounds of our world and into another…
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Image Description: Claire and me frolicking around Beaconsfield House. Many thanks to the museum for letting us use the space! These pictures were inspired by Claire's books, Desdemona and the Deep and Dark Breakers.
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Enthusing
As the holidays approach, I must remind you that my mom makes gorgeous pottery, and it’s not too late to get an order in for Christmas! Her shop is full of delights, so please go check it out.
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Image Description: So much pottery to choose from!
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With that, I think I will draw this Book & Bramble to a close - and so ends the first year of the newsletter! Whether you’ve been along for the ride since the beginning or have just joined up – thank you for being here! I wish you a warm and cozy end to the year, and look forward to sharing new adventures with you in 2023!
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Image Description: Magill standing in front of a huge red door in Quebec City, where we visited with family back in early November. Doesn't it look like a doorway into a new year?
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Until next month, wishing you the best books and the most berry-full brambles,
Caitlyn
I write this from the traditional unceded territory known as Mi’kma’ki. Two books by Indigenous authors that I really enjoyed recently are The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson and Mi’kmaq Campfire Stories of Prince Edward Island by Julie Pellissier-Lush.
(All opinions expressed in this newsletter are my own and do not represent my employer.)
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