Welcome to 2021! I hope you had a really relaxing and restorative holiday season, and that this missive finds you healthy, happy, and energized for the year ahead!

I personally enjoyed a few days over the holidays of doing absolutely nothing more than lying on the couch reading books in my pyjamas, watching movies with my kids, and eating lots of yummy Christmas treats. Exactly what my soul was craving!! I hope you had the chance to do what your soul was craving too.

Having a few interesting reads and listens that let you escape into another world sound pretty good right now, right? Here are a few of the things that captured my attention over the holidays:

A friend gave me this book for Christmas, and I more or less spent two days on the couch transported into this story. I’d not read anything by Lucinda Riley before but this was just what I needed. “The Butterfly Room” was rather predictable – you knew right from page 1 that everyone would get their happily-ever-after – and yet it was nevertheless a truly enjoyable ride getting to the inevitable conclusion.

Is there anything better than an audiobook with a dynamite narrator?!

I love podcasts. I love having the opportunity to learn new things and expand my horizons, all while doing errands and getting things done.

But there’s something magical about a great story, read by a brilliant narrator, that feels like the best kind of companionship. Stephen Fry reading the Harry Potter series ranks as the ultimate benchmark for audiobook perfection for me.

J.K. Rowling’s crime novels (written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith) read by Robert Glenister come extemely close. I’ve been listening to the latest installment in this crime series [I’ve listened to the first 4 as well – all fabulous!] and am repeatedly impressed by Rowling’s gift with words. If you love language and vocabulary, in addition to a gripping mystery and engaging character development, these audiobooks are for you!!

I’ve got some fun and motivating ideas for goal setting, new habits, and getting the best out of 2021 coming in the next issue of the newsletter. Keep an eye out for it in the next week or so!

Here’s to a positive, fulfilled, and successful 2021!

All the best for a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,