Leslie Farnsworth
@lesliefarnsworth.com
Aspiring novelist with one project in the revising and one in the planning, blog-keeper (which makes me retro), reader, ponderer, flaneuse, yoga person, goofball, friend.
Blog: https://observingleslie.com
Author site: https://lesliefarnsworth.com
Blog: https://observingleslie.com
Author site: https://lesliefarnsworth.com
Am simply over the moon with the amazing help Aerie and Jen Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston have given me with recommending middle-grade books for my niece and nephew, wrapping them, and making sure they go to the right address. 😍📚😍 THE BEST.
February 13, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Am simply over the moon with the amazing help Aerie and Jen Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston have given me with recommending middle-grade books for my niece and nephew, wrapping them, and making sure they go to the right address. 😍📚😍 THE BEST.
I wish gymnastics courses for adults were a thing.
February 11, 2026 at 6:45 AM
I wish gymnastics courses for adults were a thing.
We are working through all the gift samples of soap and lotion and etc. and the SMELLS. 😣
Am I one of the rare people who uses these kinds of products for their intended purposes (cleaning and moisturizing and so on) and not their stink, er, "scent?"
Am I one of the rare people who uses these kinds of products for their intended purposes (cleaning and moisturizing and so on) and not their stink, er, "scent?"
February 9, 2026 at 5:32 PM
We are working through all the gift samples of soap and lotion and etc. and the SMELLS. 😣
Am I one of the rare people who uses these kinds of products for their intended purposes (cleaning and moisturizing and so on) and not their stink, er, "scent?"
Am I one of the rare people who uses these kinds of products for their intended purposes (cleaning and moisturizing and so on) and not their stink, er, "scent?"
January was a quiet month on the personal front, a serious clash with the very not-quiet month we all had on the geopolitical front.
Month-in-Review Highlights: January 2026 — Observing Leslie
Quiet and focus on the personal front and anything but quiet and focus on
the world stage. Goodness gracious, January. Goodness gracious.
observingleslie.com
February 5, 2026 at 12:38 PM
January was a quiet month on the personal front, a serious clash with the very not-quiet month we all had on the geopolitical front.
Regular-degular phone calls are underrated.
February 3, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Regular-degular phone calls are underrated.
Dumb but actual question: What was the rationale behind rebranding “junior high” as “middle school” a decade or so back?
January 30, 2026 at 8:48 AM
Dumb but actual question: What was the rationale behind rebranding “junior high” as “middle school” a decade or so back?
My phone really needs to quit autocorrecting “thoughts” to “tights.”
January 28, 2026 at 9:46 AM
My phone really needs to quit autocorrecting “thoughts” to “tights.”
Saint Bernard dogs and donkeys, yes...
...but no elephants.
The history of the Grand Saint Bernard Pass in this Wednesday's Letter!
Sign up here:
...but no elephants.
The history of the Grand Saint Bernard Pass in this Wednesday's Letter!
Sign up here:
Subscribe to The Letter — Observing Leslie
Once a month, I'll send you a little miniature post with cultural,
historical, and travel observations and fun facts.
observingleslie.com
January 25, 2026 at 11:27 AM
Saint Bernard dogs and donkeys, yes...
...but no elephants.
The history of the Grand Saint Bernard Pass in this Wednesday's Letter!
Sign up here:
...but no elephants.
The history of the Grand Saint Bernard Pass in this Wednesday's Letter!
Sign up here:
This is *such* a hard list to compile each year! 📚
The Best Books I Read in 2025 — Observing Leslie
Always a long internal debate each year to put this list together, but I
finally got it done. Here’s my list of the best of the best books I read in
2025.
observingleslie.com
January 23, 2026 at 9:14 AM
This is *such* a hard list to compile each year! 📚
So many writers complain over Act II. For me, it’s Act I that gives me fits. Act I is *not* the fun part. Not in the writing or in the revising. (For this writer, anyway.)
January 21, 2026 at 3:31 PM
So many writers complain over Act II. For me, it’s Act I that gives me fits. Act I is *not* the fun part. Not in the writing or in the revising. (For this writer, anyway.)
This weekend's the Belalp Hexe in the Valais? Did I convince anyone last year to give it a try in 2026?
If so, I'm coming to watch.
If so, I'm coming to watch.
Ski Like a Witch: The Belalp Hexe in Switzerland — Observing Leslie
The Swiss canton of Valais—specifically the town of Belalp—has a downhill
skiing race for which all participants dress as witches (with brooms,
even).
observingleslie.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:07 PM
This weekend's the Belalp Hexe in the Valais? Did I convince anyone last year to give it a try in 2026?
If so, I'm coming to watch.
If so, I'm coming to watch.
Still working on my overall 2025 best of the best books read list, but here's what I read in the fourth quarter of the year (with my favorites in bold, as always).
Books I've Read: Q4 2025 — Observing Leslie
In order of roughly the date I finished reading them, here’s the list of
books I read in the fourth quarter of 2025. As always, I’ve put my
favorites in bold.
observingleslie.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Still working on my overall 2025 best of the best books read list, but here's what I read in the fourth quarter of the year (with my favorites in bold, as always).
Am I the only idiot who finds herself smiling when prompted to look into the camera for these stupid phone and computer face-recognition technologies? 🙄
January 12, 2026 at 8:38 AM
Am I the only idiot who finds herself smiling when prompted to look into the camera for these stupid phone and computer face-recognition technologies? 🙄
A year-back look at my 2025 goals (and how I did with them).
Like all of us, I'm more than a bit stunned that it's 2026 already.
Like all of us, I'm more than a bit stunned that it's 2026 already.
Month-in-Review Highlights: December 2025 — Observing Leslie
I didn’t achieve everything I set out to achieve in 2025—some of the
aspirational goals remain aspirational—but I gave every item on my list my
best effort.
observingleslie.com
January 8, 2026 at 9:52 AM
A year-back look at my 2025 goals (and how I did with them).
Like all of us, I'm more than a bit stunned that it's 2026 already.
Like all of us, I'm more than a bit stunned that it's 2026 already.
Ooo. Storytellers among you, something fun to explore.
How musicals use motifs to tell stories
Explore motifs from Hamilton, Wicked, and Les Misérables.
pudding.cool
January 6, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Ooo. Storytellers among you, something fun to explore.
Les Monstrueuses at mudac in Lausanne is an exhibit of Kévin Germanier’s haute couture work using upcycled materials. Stunning and inspiring.
January 2, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Les Monstrueuses at mudac in Lausanne is an exhibit of Kévin Germanier’s haute couture work using upcycled materials. Stunning and inspiring.
Here in Lausanne, we have a rather unique way to celebrate the new year...
How Lausanne Celebrates the New Year: Burning the Cathedral — Observing Leslie
How does Lausanne in Switzerland celebrate New Year’s Eve? Why, it
fake-burns its gothic cathedral, of course.
observingleslie.com
December 31, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Here in Lausanne, we have a rather unique way to celebrate the new year...
Wanted to sleep on it to ensure it was really, really true and yep, in the full light of the following day I can say I finished that novel draft yesterday. Sure the heck I did.
December 30, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Wanted to sleep on it to ensure it was really, really true and yep, in the full light of the following day I can say I finished that novel draft yesterday. Sure the heck I did.
We watched the movie “Friendship” this holiday break on high recommendation and… I didn’t get what was supposed to be great about it?
What’d I miss? What’s so fantastic about this film? (Serious question, because I am feeling seriously out of touch.)
What’d I miss? What’s so fantastic about this film? (Serious question, because I am feeling seriously out of touch.)
December 29, 2025 at 5:46 PM
We watched the movie “Friendship” this holiday break on high recommendation and… I didn’t get what was supposed to be great about it?
What’d I miss? What’s so fantastic about this film? (Serious question, because I am feeling seriously out of touch.)
What’d I miss? What’s so fantastic about this film? (Serious question, because I am feeling seriously out of touch.)
Given that we’re in the season of meals eaten in company, whether of family or friends, why not look into the invention of etiquette for this month's Letter?
Where the heck did all these rules come from, anyway? (Right?)
Where the heck did all these rules come from, anyway? (Right?)
Subscribe to The Letter — Observing Leslie
Once a month, I'll send you a little miniature post with cultural,
historical, and travel observations and fun facts.
observingleslie.com
December 28, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Given that we’re in the season of meals eaten in company, whether of family or friends, why not look into the invention of etiquette for this month's Letter?
Where the heck did all these rules come from, anyway? (Right?)
Where the heck did all these rules come from, anyway? (Right?)
A local store gifted me a bar of soap for the holidays. Before now, outside the dentist's office, I have never encountered the exact smell of that "cinnamon-flavored" tooth polish used in the dentist's chair.
December 26, 2025 at 2:20 PM
A local store gifted me a bar of soap for the holidays. Before now, outside the dentist's office, I have never encountered the exact smell of that "cinnamon-flavored" tooth polish used in the dentist's chair.
Civilizational high or low that we now have Haribo jewelry for sale in high-end department stores?
December 23, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Civilizational high or low that we now have Haribo jewelry for sale in high-end department stores?
December 21, 2025 at 12:14 PM