Things that give me pause

• Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog -- a charming novel I would recommend to anyone, but especially to anyone with a soft spot for the French language and culture.

• "Don't Pity the Spinsters" -- I love this refreshing perspective on finding one's soul mate.

• 24/7 with Mary Davenport Williams, founder of Gibson Lane Studio. Check out Gibson Lane's classic silhouette designs with a whimiscal twist.

"He it is Who created for you all that is in the Earth; then He turned toward the Heaven, and He perfected them as seven Heavens."