Music
Oh! Carol – Neil Sedaka
Oh! Carol is an 1958 song that quickly became an international hit. Neil Sedaka’s performance is phenomenal and it trully reflects the 1950s aesthetic to the fullest.
Calender Girl – Neil Sedaka
Another popular song by Neil Sedaka, this time inspired by the movie of the same name and the pin-up culture that began in the 1940s.
Your Man – Josh Turner
When I first heard this song I was mesmerised by Josh Turner’s vocals. Country music is such an expressive music genre and Josh has created a very romantic song with erotic elements that add depth to its sentimentality rather than being vulgar.
Vampire – Olivia Rodrigo
Contemplating your past choices after breaking up with a toxic partner is the theme of this goth-esque pop rock ballad that draws inspiration from vampire lore.
Remember When – Alan Jackson
A sweet country ballad by the incredibly talented Alan Jackson in which he reminiscences his life with his wife, them raising their children together and how they will cherish the memory of their children’s young years after their offsprings grow older.
Nasty Man – Victor Young
A 1930s big orchestra single that brings out so much nostalgia for an simpler life with more authenticity and special everyday moments.
Books
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
A pilot stranded in the desert awakes one morning to see, standing before him, the most extraordinary little fellow. “Please,” asks the stranger, “draw me a sheep.” And the pilot realizes that when life’s events are too difficult to understand, there is no choice but to succumb to their mysteries. He pulls out pencil and paper… And thus begins this wise and enchanting fable that, in teaching the secret of what is really important in life, has changed forever the world for its readers.
Rumi’s Little Book of Wisdom by Maryam Mafi
This is a collection of inspirational wisdom for living a meaningful and productive life. The selection of quotations is chosen to reflect Rumi’s inspiring and uplifting approach to life and address the inevitable issues that we encounter during our lifetimes. Here, Rumi talks directly to us, just as he did to his contemporaries 800 years ago. The wisdom includes no-nonsense statements, observations, and facts, ranging from matters of the heart, to understanding human nature, to embracing the nature of the divine. The end result is an extended meditation on how to live one’s life with meaning, productivity, and kindness.
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
Can Machiavelli, who makes the following observations, be Machiavellian as we understand the disparaging term?
1. So it is that to know the nature of a people, one need be a Prince; to know the nature of a Prince, one need to be of the people.
2. If a Prince is not given to vices that make him hated, it is unsusal for his subjects to show their affection for him.
3. Opportunity made Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, Theseus, and others; their virtue domi-nated the opportunity, making their homelands noble and happy. Armed prophets win; the disarmed lose.
4. Without faith and religion, man achieves power but not glory.
5. Prominent citizens want to command and oppress; the populace only wants to be free of oppression.
6. A Prince needs a friendly populace; otherwise in diversity there is no hope.
7. A Prince, who rules as a man of valor, avoids disasters,
8. Nations based on mercenary forces will never be solid or secure.
9. Mercenaries are dangerous because of their cowardice
10. There are two ways to fight: one with laws, the other with force. The first is rightly man’s way; the second, the way of beasts.
Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery by Agatha Christie
There’s a chill in the air and the days are growing shorter . . . It’s the perfect time to curl up in front of a crackling fire with these wintry whodunits from the legendary Agatha Christie. But beware of deadly snowdrifts and dangerous gifts, poisoned meals and mysterious guests. This chilling compendium of short stories—some featuring beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple—is an essential omnibus for Christie fans and the perfect holiday gift for mystery lovers.
Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde
Beautiful, aristocratic, an adored wife and young mother, Lady Windermere is ‘a fascinating puritan’ whose severe moral code leads her to the brink of social suicide. The only one who can save her is the mysterious Mrs Erlynne whose scandalous relationship with Lord Windermere has prompted her fatal impulse. And Mrs Erlynne has a secret – a secret Lady windermere must never know if she is to retain her peace of mind.
Malachite by Ruth Ryan Langan
From the wilds of Montana emerges one last Jewel, an unknown brother burning with hatred for his father’s might legacy. Malachite—as wild and untamed as the devil stallion he has vowed to vanquish. But he cannot conquer the way his Comanche blood rages for gentle mother and widow Millie Potter. For in her devoted gaze and loving arms he knows his lonely heart has finally found a home.
Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce
London 1940, bombs are falling. Emmy Lake is Doing Her Bit for the war effort, volunteering as a telephone operator with the Auxiliary Fire Services. When Emmy sees an advertisement for a job at the London Evening Chronicle, her dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent seem suddenly achievable. But the job turns out to be typist to the fierce and renowned advice columnist, Henrietta Bird. Emmy is disappointed, but gamely bucks up and buckles down.
Mrs Bird is very clear: Any letters containing Unpleasantness—must go straight in the bin. But when Emmy reads poignant letters from women who are lonely, may have Gone Too Far with the wrong men and found themselves in trouble, or who can’t bear to let their children be evacuated, she is unable to resist responding. As the German planes make their nightly raids, and London picks up the smoldering pieces each morning, Emmy secretly begins to write letters back to the women of all ages who have spilled out their troubles.
Movies
Ice Princess (2005)
Brainy Casey Carlyle has never quite fit in. Caught between her fantasy of becoming a championship figure skater and her strong-willed mother, who has her on the fast track to Harvard, she can only hope to be like Nikki, Tiffany and Gen–three elite skating prodigies who are ruthlessly competing on the US National circuit. But when Casey gets the chance to train with Gen and her coach, a disgraced former skating champion who also happens to be Gen’s mother, she must dash her own mother’s hopes in order to pursue her dream.
Now, with only the support of Gen’s teenage brother, a hunky Zamboni driver, Casey takes on the challenge of her life when she finds herself competing against the best to make it into the championship circuit and become a real “ice princess.”
The Christmas Card (2006)
US Army sergeant Cody Cullen’s horror tour in Afghanistan ends when his fellow soldier Jonesy is killed in an attack while they are delivering medical supplies in Nurestan. Cody is put on leave and goes to return private possessions to Jonesy’s bride turned widow. On his way home he passes Nevada City, California, where he meets Faith Spelman, who writes the parish’s Christmas cards to lonely soldiers, who had coincidentally included him, an orphan. He happens to save her dad Luke from a serious car run-over. The Spellmans invite Cody home for dinner, then the Christmas tide. He proves a great help in the family logging firm. Vietenam vet Luke wants Cody as son-in-law, but although charmed, Faith still seems committed to rarely present fiancé Paul, a wine broker.
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
A food writer who has lied about being the perfect housewife must try to cover her deception when her boss and a returning war hero invite themselves to her home for a traditional family Christmas.
Christmas Homecoming (2017)
A widow of a war hero takes in an injured soldier who has just returned from Afghanistan. Together they help each other heal and find true love.
Made of Honor (2008)
Tom and Hannah have been platonic friends for 10 years. He’s a serial dater, while she wants marriage but hasn’t found Mr. Right yet. Just as Tom is starting to think that he is relationship material after all, Hannah gets engaged. When she asks Tom to be her “maid” of honor, he reluctantly agrees just so he can attempt to stop the wedding and woo her.
TV series
Sophia (2016)
In 15th Century Russia, the last Byzantine princess, Sophia Palaiologina, moves from Rome to distant Moscow to marry Czar Ivan III. Destined to become the first influential female figure of the Russian Empire, Sophia overcomes court intrigue and betrayals, and helps Ivan consolidate the fragmented country, push Mongolian invaders out, and build the Kremlin, the most magnificent symbol of Russia.
