My Favorite Things

“Its dinky size means this fountain pen goes everywhere with me. I have two—one for colored ink and one for black.”

“I quit caffeine a few years ago; it gave me such bad headaches that I’m scared to ever go back. I have since discovered that the best herbal tea is lemon verbena, which is genuinely delicious.”

“Having lived in Amsterdam, I have a thing for blue-and-white Delftware tiles, tulipiere, and small Dutch flower bricks, which are so easy to use. You only need a few stems to make something beautiful. They are beautiful objects in their own right too.”

“You have to order your copy of the Redstone Diary well ahead as it always sells out. Each year follows a different theme. 2023 is Beauty and features John Baldessari, W.E.B. du Bois, Louise Bourgeois, Gilbert and George, Seamus Heaney, Edvard Munch, and more.”

“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there. A captivating first sentence to what I think is a perfect novel. I return to it a lot when I’m writing.”

“I love everything that goes with ice cream: frilly sundae bowls, long-handled spoons, paper doilies, and wafer biscuits. These squiggly glass spoons are delectable.”

“I love this London-based brand for colorful underwear. It looks a lot more expensive than it is!”

“Elizabeth David said it best: Provence is a country to which I am always returning, next week, next year, any day now, as soon as I can get on a train. Until then, this is a daily reminder on the sink.”

“I love to go to Ischia in the summer. In my dreams, I would keep this little car at the Naples airport waiting for me.”