Little Women seems to be the classic to read at the moment, especially after the last movie came out. Don't get me wrong, it's good that classics become fashionable in a world where they tend to be seen as boring or too long to even bother. So I was glad about the enjoyment, but feared that it might raise the hype and make something bigger than what it really is.

In the end, I read the book in a matter of days and ended up enjoying it, not more, not less than what I imagine. It was a really nice book to read with four lovely sisters, each with their own and well-defined personality. The character of the mother is quite incredible: she is a mother as well as the embodiment of wisdom, kindness and love. She is fair, intelligent and inspiring. I guess many young people reading this book could benefit from her advice while growing up and struggling to find themselves and be kind.

I also loved that the story took place on many years. I was scared the book might be too long or too detailed, but it gives exactly what we need to understand everything and get a good sense of each character in the book. I personally loved Jo and Amy. They were the two I related the most: they are strong, passionate, love deeply and care very much to become better people. Meg was lovely, but a bit old school - even though the book was written in the 19th century. She gave too much of herself to others that I didn't see any real personality or ambition in this character. She could have been more. As for Beth, well (SPOILER) the writer killed her way before her actual death. What I mean by that is that we see so little of her throughout the book since she starts being sick that her death doesn't surprise anybody, or change anything for us reader. She seemed like such a kind and selfless child, taking very little space and being very quiet. She could have turned into a really interesting character if she wasn't so left behind, sick or not.

As I wrote this, France is already on its 13th day since the President announced the second lockdown. It is really strange to go there again, yet doesn't feel that foreign. Maybe it's because it's not the first one, that everyone was waiting for it, or simply that it doesn't change much work/uni-wise, but it's easier to deal with. I mean, look at these pictures : I am allowed to walk along the canal once a day with these beautiful colors in Paris! I miss walking around the city and exploring new spots, especially during autumn, so I guess we all have to get used to not being allowed to do the things we like doing for a while. And that's okay.

I've been baking and cooking a lot during the weekends. It's just great to have good homemade meals when it's so cold out there. Being able to do nothing but read, cuddle the cat and watch movies and series. We recently watched The Hobbit, the three of them and The Witches. This one was really not so great ; strange and not as good as expecting when you see all the good names around this movie. We are also currently watching The Queen's Gambit. It's not the best, but I'm enjoying it so far. I didn't think that you could have that much suspense when watching people playing chess.

As for books, I'm trying to finish Ten thousand doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. This book feels like it never ends if I'm honest. I thought it was going to be really fantastical and magical, but I don't see a lot of these in the end. It's really slow in a way with too much describing (I don't enjoy endless description). I also read a lot of horror/scary books lately such as Home before dark by R. Sager - it's really good and quite different from the traditional haunted house story, The Haunting of Ashburn House by D. Coates which was also very good and really intriguing. And finally, I'm trying to read a bit more of poetry. It's not my ideal kind of books but I try to find some I like. Amanda Lovelace's latest poem collection is one of them, Break your glass slippers. It's a bit different from her previous ones, it's more peaceful and a lot about self-esteem and how to be good with yourself. If you have any good poetry recommendation, please let me know.

I'll try to do one of those monthly wrap up for the books I've read this month. But before that, I hope you're all doing okay and managing as best as you can. Let's all get hopeful that 2020 is not a lost cause (thanks the US for that!), and be even more hopeful for the following weeks before the end of the year.