First holiday celebration of the year!

This Thursday evening from 6-8,  Christine, Julie and I will be co-hosting an event for Marie Claire to celebrate the White House Black Market holiday collection. Expect lovely things to eat, drink, and look at.

Hope to see you there!

[Contest closed. Congrats to Amy H.!]

I've been going on a bunch of awesome HowAboutWe dates lately...so now I'd like to give you guys the opportunity to try it for yourself.

To win the date of your choice (up to a $200 value), just click here to browse the options and tell me which one you'd like to go on if you win in the comments below!

Morgan just asked me to send her a list of books I've recently read and would recommend, so I thought I'd share it for those of you looking for something to curl up with by the fireplace.

- The Good House, by Ann Leary: About an alcoholic real-estate agent, written by Denis Leary's wife Ann Leary and one of my favorite books I've read in years.
- The Age Of Miracles, by Karen Thompson Walker: About what happens when the earth stops spinning; heartbreaking and wonderful and unforgettable.
- Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, by Maria Semple: A beautifully crafted story about a daughter's relationship with her eccentric and extraordinary mother; funny and compelling and lovely.
- Wild, by Cheryl Strayed: One of the most beautiful books I've read in my life, and I went into it thinking "a book about hiking? Ehhhhhhhgh."
- Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson: I have no idea how to describe this one other than that it can be a little tough to get through (it's about an English woman who dies time after time - and then comes back to life - as the country marches towards war), but is very much worth the effort. I didn't want it to ever end.
- Seating Arrangements, by Maggie Shipstead: Sort of Great Gatsby-esque, about a family's misbehaviors at a ritzy weekend wedding.

At the moment, I'm re-reading Russell Brand's My Booky-Wook (not nearly as silly as it sounds; he's an incredible writer and it's worth a second read) and am wading through The Returned (the subject matter - long-dead people suddenly come back to life and reconnect with the families they left behind - is just a little too upsetting for me to get into at night, which is when I do most of my reading).

Extremely into the My So-Called Life look at the moment, as you can see (that's a $36 Boohoo floral babydoll dress with a sweater vest on top).

My cousin Marci is making her own body scrubs; I think the Coconut & Lemon sounds especially delicious.

By now, you know my beautiful, talented friend Francesca (above left). She's in a vintage-meets-modern jazz/gypsy swing band called She, Her & I, and to celebrate the release of their first single, "Everybody Loves My Baby," they're offering it as a free download for a limited time here (just scroll down and enter your email address where prompted). Enjoy!

P.S. If you like what you hear and are in the L.A. area, their next gig is at the Sofitel on November 5.