Shannon Ables

Founder and Author of Simply Luxurious Living

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September 29, 2014 by Shannon Ables

What does living simply luxuriously look like?

Shannon defines it succinctly in her mission statement which kickstarted her lifestyle blog, The Simply Luxurious Life:

The simply luxurious life is something that each of us can attain if indeed we are seeking quality rather than quantity, sensibility rather than frivolity, personal style instead of trendy fashions and a truly fulfilling life instead of being led around by the nose; thereby, creating a life of true contentment.

Shannon Ables is the founder and editor of the internationally recognized lifestyle blog The Simply Luxurious Life (est.  2009), described as “The thinking and compassionate person’s blog with everyday ‘sides’ of living well to savor.” The blog’s content has inspired four books, the latest released on August 25th (2026) — Savoring the Sojourn: Contentment Through the Seasons as You Unearth Your Masterpiece. Explore each of the books here.

Posting new content each week, view the regular posting schedule of the blog, the 17th season kicked off in September 2026. Members of TSLL’s international community (two tiers: Entrée or Premier – formerly Basic and Top) enjoy exclusive benefits and access to the content (non-members may read two posts for free before a paywall appears), with Premier members enjoying ad-free reading and unlimited access to all content, including exclusive content (learn more about all of the benefits here). And read reviews of the blog here.

Shannon also shares inspiration and tips on how to curate your very own simply luxurious life on her podcast The Simple Sophisticate which airs on the first and third Wednesday of each month, pairing intelligent living with signature style.

In 2024, the first online video course became available – the Contentment Masterclass, offering a step-by-step, in-depth approach to learning the skills to experience an abiding peace and enjoyment as well as fulfillment in everyday life. Then, in 2025, Shannon added a second self-paced course, the Introduction to French Cooking: Everyday Deliciousness, sharing all that she has learned from taking cooking classes in France and drawing inspiration from her love of France’s approach to cooking and eating well, founded on using seasonal ingredients.

And as the British culture and everyday pastimes of savoring a Cuppa and pottering in the garden have long captured her penchant for enjoying everyday moments and Mother Nature, TSLL’s Annual British Week takes place on the blog the third full week in May (est. 2019), and for Francophiles, the second week in August marks TSLL’s Annual French Week (est. 2016), the two most beloved times of year on the blog for readers.

Learn more about TSLL (The Simply Luxurious Life blog) and Shannon Ables here on the Introductions page.

https://shannonables.com/home-page-content/

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TSLL’s Latest Book

Savoring the Sojourn: Contentment Through the Seasons as You Unearth Your Masterpiece

365 pages
$27-$35
formats: Hardback, Paperback, eBook, Audible
Released on August 25, 2026

Watch the trailer here.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

RSS feed: The Simply Luxurious Life blog posts The Simply Luxurious Life blog posts

  • This & That: September 11, 2026
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  • How to Experience Success
  • Un Moment de Méditation: No. 36 — Keeping Self-Improvement in Its Place

HOW I LIVE TSLL (IG @thesimplyluxuriouslife)

Savoring the Sojourn, TSLL's 4th book, is now out Savoring the Sojourn, TSLL's 4th book, is now out in the world, and as it had been 8 years since I last signed preordered copies (electing during the throes of the pandemic in 2022 to send signed bookplates instead of The Road to Le Papillon), I am so tickled to be able to offer this option. ☺️📖🖋️ There is something that feels as though there is more of a connection between author and reader. Thank you, to each reader who ordered their preordered signed copy because I know you had to wait a bit longer for it to arrive, but I do hope that upon the book's arrival (the last shipment left Le Papillon this past Wednesday!), it was deemed worth the anticipatory build-up ☺️.

I also elected to return to the signing of preorders and providing the option of selling directly to you from my home in Bend, Oregon, as I thought that was more important than striving for a temporary #1 ranking in any of the categories the book was placed. Seeing my last book reach this designation in France Travel, was an unexpected surprise made entirely possible by you all purchasing en masse from one source. And funnily enough, Savoring the Sojourn inched close to the Top 10 in Gardening and Top 100 in Happiness, which was wonderful to see! Wherever and from whomever you purchased the book, thank you, and if you find the book insightful, inspiring, helpful, reassuring or any other positive description, the best compliment is to spread the word - to others you think will enjoy the book, in a review, on social media, wherever would be most natural for you to do so. That means more than you know. 💛📖💛

Now to the reading of Savoring the Sojourn! As I shipped off each book, to see where in the world each was traveling for its new home delighted me enormously, and deepens my appreciation further for TSLL vast community of folks, of all ages and lifestyles cultivating their very own, and deeply signature simply luxurious life. 

Wishing you all wonderful savored moments of reading. 😌📖 Bon week-end!

(Signed copies are always directly available from Shannon -TSLL.co)

Book photos in slides #3,#4, and #5 shared and captured by readers Judy, Gabriela and Dani! Thank you for sending my way! 💛📖
Happy Friday and yep, that means it’s This & That Happy Friday and yep, that means it’s This & That Day on the blog! Stop by to discover - Get reading for all sorts of finds this week. September brings it! A great new play opens in London that looks like great fun with two talented leads, books about everyday French lifetsyle approaches, mastering midlife, reconsidering convenience, a favorite mystery writer returns with a new book, a British series debuts with a new adaptation of a favorite sleuthing duo, savings on linen pajamas that I love and wear often, more timeless autumnal capsule wardrobe finds and still there is more!
I thought I'd take a moment and introduce myself a I thought I'd take a moment and introduce myself and my pup (who's 4 years old, so not a pup 🙃🐾❤️). I rarely capture photos of myself, let alone with my dogs, but this moment presented itself at the local farmers' market,so I seized it.

I'm Shannon Ables, the creator and sole writer of The Simply Luxurious Life blog (TSLL) that began in late 2009. For nearly 17 years, it has been my good fortune to write and share all that I love about living a life of quality over quantity, what can best be described as cultivating a life of true contentment. 

True contentment, a state of how we engage with each day is different than happiness (but cultivates more of it), and is a skill we can all learn. The ingredients, while generally the same for all of us (skills learned), more specifically will be unique to each of us based on (1) what brings us to life along the road of getting know ourselves, (2) where our curiosity leads us, and (3) how we need to heal, which then leads to (4) the skills to learn so that we can engage with loving-kindness paired with honoring our integrity - our unique needs, prioritizing what cares for our well-being and temperament in order to be energized rather than drained, thereby being able to give what we can uniquely give to the world that brings us to life. 

Sometimes this may sound too serious, and I get that, so we intermix this content with the exploration and love of the French and British cultures. Much of the life approach shared above is directly inspired from the French, my time at school in Angers, and visiting over the past nearly 30 years. And the British know gardening, tea and cozying-in (paired with the gifts of rain) better than most, so I am innately drawn to the UK too. 

TSLL blog shares regular weekly content 51 weeks of the year, on certain topics or subjects each day of the week, so that you know what to look forward to.

But back to my pup. This is Nelle, she is the youngest of my three pups who I have been fortunate to have as my companions along my journey (Oscar and Norman were her brothers, Norman she knew and absolutely adored). Learn more about TSLL, me and the pups via the link in my profile-Start Here.
In less than a month, here in Bend, Oregon, @round In less than a month, here in Bend, Oregon, @roundaboutbooks will be hosting me for the first book reading and signing event for my new book Savoring the Sojourn. AND it's a Live Zoom event too! So wherever you are in the world, you can join us. Be sure to reserve your spot (both in-person and online). The cost is either to purchase a book from Roundabout or $5 (which goes to support my favorite independent bookshop in Bend ☺️📚❤️). 

Owner Cassie Clemans and her entire team have been supporting TSLL books from the beginning, and I am deeply grateful for their hosting of this event and making it available to a virtual audience as so many of TSLL readers live all over the world. 

Join me on Thursday October 1st at 6:30pm at Roundabout Books! 📖❤️📖❤️

Link in profile to reserve your spot. ☺️📖

#tsll4thbook #savoringthesojourn

Copyright © 2026 · Shannon Ables