Tell All, Tell Tall: The Skeleton is the Key

Emily Henry writes a rad romcom. Her characters are warm and witty, their worlds a heady mix of magic and familiarity. But her latest, Great Big Beautiful Life, is on another level.

Writer Alice Scott wants to make her mark. So when she learns that celebrity recluse Margaret Ives is holed up on an island in Georgia, she's determined to write her biography. But Pulitzer Prize-winner Hayden Anderson may have beaten her to it. Per Margaret, Alice and Hayden will spend a month interviewing her, separately, under ironclad NDAs. Then Margaret will make her choice. It's not what Alice wants, but she'll do anything to land the job. So she goes all in, setting out to win over even no-nonsense Hayden. An incurable optimist, Alice wears Hayden down one green tea at a time. As they grow closer, it becomes a challenge not to discuss Margaret and the stories she feeds them. Still, they can't help but wonder: Who is Margaret Ives really, and what does she want from them?

Engaging and poignant, Great Big Beautiful Life is one of those books that stays with you. Although Margaret's story within the story is the star, Alice and Hayden are the heart. Their writerly romance is irresistible, their connection stronger than any NDA.

Finding out how Margaret's -- and their -- stories end is the key to a great, big, beautiful beginning.

Spirited Style: The Ghost of Galentine's Day

Top: Candie's, Kohl's; Skirt: Tinseltown, Kohl's

The ghost with the most . . . stuff.

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Bow: Limited Too, Kohl's

Boots: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Fancy Phantom Necklace

Top: INC, Macy's; Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

A rose grows at Macy's

Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW

Bag: On 34th, Macy's

Top: Madden Girl, Kohl's; Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

Heart of Bold Necklace

Y2K spray of roses.

Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Headband: Amazon

Wallet: Betsey Johnson, Macy's; Lip gloss: Too Faced, Target

Bag: Betsey Johnson

I love going through my crafting supplies and making something unexpected.  So when I unearthed a pink ghost, I thought, challenge accepted.  So what if it's Valentine's weekend and not Halloween?  I'm sure that many lovelorn souls would say that Cupid's cuddle fest haunts them more than the ghouls' gala.  Speaking of ghouls, there's no better time to post this Fancy Phantom Necklace (that's what I'm calling my cohort) than Galentine's Day, which falls on Friday the Thirteenth this year.  If that's not a sign of the supernatural, then I don't know what is.

Because we ladies can believe in the occult and make our own luck --and spirited style statements.

A Star is Torn: Rewind the Music

Jennifer Weiner is a virtuoso at writing women.  Our dreams, our insecurities, and our obstacles.  And the way we're trapped into fighting each other when it's men who make the rules.  Her latest novel, The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits, spotlights what it means to be a woman -- and a sister -- amid the grit and glam of the music industry.

The Grossberg sisters are an unlikely pair.  Pretty, popular Zoe was born to perform, but her singing is mediocre.  Overweight outcast Cassie is a piano prodigy with a golden voice, but she's awkward to the point of near muteness.  Zoe is jealous of Cassie's talent, and Cassie wants to be "normal" like Zoe.  Zoe is mean, manipulative, and sometimes cruel.  Nevertheless, per their mother, she serves as Cassie's protector and tour guide in navigating an unkind and confusing world.

One night, Zoe strongarms Cassie into performing at a local battle of the bands.  A record label exec's nephew's in the audience, and before they know it, they're the Griffin Sisters, the hottest new band of the aughts.  At their epicenter is singer-songwriter Russell D'Angelo, the sensitive yet flawed young man who changes their lives.

Star-studded, heart-wrenching, and poignant, The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits is riveting.  Weiner alternates between Cassie's and Zoe's voices, going back and forth in time to tell a story of emotional depth and nostalgia.  Cassie and Zoe -- but especially Cassie -- are complexly drawn and speak to women of all ages.  

Because whether you're "just a pretty face," "different," or somewhere in between, the struggle to be heard is timeless.

Marooned but Not Doomed: Hello, Snowstorm

Top: INC, Macy's; Skirt (a dress!): JCPenney

Bubblegum Beauty Necklace

Shoes: Jessica Simpson, DSW

Bow: Kohl's

Bag: Kelly & Katie, DSW

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

I like big baubles and I cannot lie.

Looking forward to florals.

Bag: Madden Girl, Kohl's

When your coat's doppelganger is a duvet.  Coat: Madden Girl, Macy's

Tiers for cheers.

Giant Dancer Necklace

Sometimes I think I need to make smaller necklaces.  And then I say nah and make something like this.

Skirt: Wild Fable, Target

Boots: Nine West, Kohl's

Sweatshirt: City Streets, JCPenney; Boots: Olivia Miller, Kohl's

Not Your Average Diamond Necklace

Bag: Liz Claiborne, JCPenney

Poodle, bow, and ornament: Michaels; Fragrance: Too Faced, Target

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Bow: Art Class, Target

Chances are, you got snowed in last weekend.  As you (may) know, I don't like snow.  It's cold and wet and, above all, dangerous.  So when the flakes fell, I was happy to stay inside and (while Charlotte napped) play dress-up.  The theme?  Maroon!  Because 1) I'd worn a maroon dress for my birthday and wanted to do a trifecta and 2) maroon makes an ideal backdrop for my new necklaces.

Being marooned in maroon was a bonus.

That said, I hope you stayed cozy doing something you love -- even if the only ice in your life was clinking in your Coca-Cola. 

On the Brink of Pink and Valentine's Day

Coat: So, Kohl's

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Sweater: Madden Girl, Macy's

Shoes: Jessica Simpson, DSW

Sweater: Candie's, Kohl's

Bag: Betsey Johnson

Tutu art: Michaels; Makeup: Too Faced, Target; Heart pouch: Madden Girl, Macy's

Boots: Impo, DSW

Skirt: Wild Fable, Target

Top: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Bubblegum Bubbly Necklace

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Hair clip: Wild Fable, Target

"Brink" might be pushing it, as I'll surely post something very un-Valentiney between now and February 14.  But I can't resist a rhyme, so here we are.

Appropriating Char Bar's shopping cart, corralling my bric-a-brac into a collage, and pretending that my closet's a parlor are all acts of love anyway.

Because love's always a little bit crazy -- and best expressed through an excess of trinkets.