10 Beautiful Things, vol. 42
Books, friends, and other midwinter livelinesses
Good morning!
This is 10 Beautiful Things, a weekly missive about the search for beauty in ordinary life. Here you’ll find ten things I’ve found beautiful, online or off. I hope to share some beauty with you, and encourage you to find (and share!) some beautiful things of your own.
I’ve done a bit of housekeeping on my Substack, including updating my photos (thanks to my friend Elizabeth – check out her work!) and rewriting my About page, which has some deeper explanations for the name of my Substack, the reason I write 10 Beautiful Things, and some links to my favorite things I’ve written in this space so far. Give it a read if you’re new here!
My favorite song on post-impressionism right now. I’ve been waking up in the mornings with this melody stuck in my head lately.
I have reached the point where my coffee recipe prepared at home is my favorite way to take coffee (maybe even more than getting a latte out). Here is what I do: make a strong pour over with medium roast, freshly ground coffee beans, with a pinch of cardamom powder or lavender flowers in the filter with the grounds, followed by a splash of Oatly double cream and a small scoop of sugar. Drink in a mug at home while still very hot, only make in a to-go cup if absolutely necessary.
Dinner and a puzzle (!) with friends.
Snowdrops outside one of the churches in town.
How creative of a cook Jake is – he came up with his own recipe for garlic knots this week.
A small Super Bowl party, which began at 11:30pm GMT and was made complete with nachos and a strong sense of slap-happiness from staying up so late. Jake and I have both lived in our hometown of Northern Virginia for decades, which means events like this come with annual traditions and longstanding gatherings year after year. We miss the rhythm of what came before – but experimenting with a UK-expat remix of these traditions has also been fun.
I have never been part of a book club that engages with classic literature, but I am currently reading The Brothers Karamazov with two friends in St Andrews, and it’s making a world of difference for me! Once that’s done I’m planning to read Crime and Punishment with a friend from home, so perhaps 2026 is my Dostoevsky With Friends year?
Chocolate chip cookies made by a friend, with dark brown sugar.
A sourdough starter that springs easily back to life after 2 months of neglect in the back of my fridge.
A long catch-up call with one of my oldest and dearest friends, who I lived with for 5 years before getting married and now live 8 time zones away from. Enough time in both of our schedules to yap for five hours is rare and wonderful!
What’s something beautiful you found this week?
There are snowdrops in the Roundel courtyard, don't miss 'em! There are so many. With friends is the only way I got through the Bros K, too! 🧩