How’s your weekend shaping up? Around here, somebody is scheming to extend a Thursday birthday into a weekend-long celebration. (I’m good with that!) And we’re on the hunt for a crowd-pleasing movie that might satisfy newly-13 to 18-year-olds. I’ll take any good recs you have!
I’m still laying low while I (hopefully) recover from my respiratory weirdness, which looks like lots of reading time and perhaps a bit of puzzling. I just finished my first jigsaw of the year (I know, finally!) and I enjoyed working the vintage print so much. (Puzzlers: this New York Puzzle Company puzzle features the same illustration at a lower price point.) Now I’m itching to start another one!
Wherever you are, whatever you up to, I hope you have something to look forward to this weekend, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.
My favorite finds from around the web:Stroll Through the World’s 11 Most Unusual Libraries. (Fodor’s Travel) Don’t mind if I do.
Jenny at Carrot Top Paper Shop is offering a selected few “tokens of friendship” for 40% off for a limited time, in preparation for Valentine’s Day. No code needed—look for the green price reduction on stickers (including my favorite Call Me Cordelia sticker), select postcards, the Hate not, Fear not, LOVE mug, and more.
The Fake Shack (or the Shack Burger at Home) Recipe. (Serious Eats) We tried these for dinner this week and they were DIVINE. I’ll also note that these sounded like considerably more effort than they turned out to be: once you have the technique down they’re a breeze! (We used brioche slider buns because we had some on hand.)
N.K. Jemisin’s Novel The World We Make Reimagines New York. (Oprah Daily) This is why I keep reading her: “At the end of the day, I am here to entertain people. It’s just that my idea of entertainment involves hard questions.”
US Cities Are Falling Out of Love With the Parking Lot. (WIRED) “In much of the US, more space is devoted to parking than housing.”
Why You Should Start Book Journaling Right Now (& Prompts to Help You Start). (Book Riot) Obviously I agree: get the My Reading Life book journal right here!
I was surprised to discover our town got a J.Crew Factory Store this month! (Louisville: it’s a few doors down from Trader Joe’s.) I picked up these high-rise classic vintage jeans which I think I like as much as my Paige ones (which I just discovered are also seriously marked down right now).
Speaking of: Trader Joe’s Just Announced Its Customer Choice Awards: Here’s What Won. (Food and Wine)
Winning Images from the 11th Annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest. (Underwater Photography Guide) My family gawked over these at breakfast.
‘Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret’ Trailer Shows Off First Judy Blume Movie Adaptation. (Deadline) What a great cast!
Email Unsubscribe Services Don’t Really Work. Follow This (Free) Advice Instead. (New York Times; no paywall) The advice we need.
Announcing the 2023 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists. (PEN America)
And don’t miss:
12 favorite Book Club selections that have stood the test of time. These Book Club picks have incredible staying power!
5 tips for cozy sweater care. Regular sweater care helps keep the moths and pills away! These simple solutions make it easy.
14 wintry audiobooks to listen to on dreary days. It might seem counterintuitive but I try to get outside every day during the winter. My daily walk lifts my mood and it provides the perfect audiobook-listening time.
Plus these reader comments:
Katie F. on What’s saving your life right now? “My sister donated her kidney to my 20 year old nephew yesterday. Both are doing well. She’s my hero.”
Courtney on What’s saving your life right now? “Honestly, my almost 17 year old daughter is saving my life right now. She’s just the absolute best. I just enjoy spending time with her and watching her blossom into such a beautiful human. She’s recently become interested in film and movies, so my husband and I are revisiting our favorite old movies with her. She’s our only and I’m just soaking up every minute until she leave the nest in another year or so.”
Megan on Great books you may have missed in 2022: You mention Last Summer on State Street being set in 1990 and not historical fiction – I have two stories from work (a library) that relate: 1. I was putting genre stickers on some new books that came in, and had to call my supervisor to ask if a book set in the 1990s qualified as fiction or historical fiction – the verdict was historical, believe it or not! 2. I was looking up survival books for a brochure for kids, and one book that came up with the Library of Congress Subject Heading “Survival — Juvenile Fiction” was set just after 9/11 – it also had the LCSH “Historical Fiction” – for a book set in 2001!!! Both of those were out-of-body, out-of-time experiences for me!
Linda on What’s saving your life right now? Books! In winter, I look for books that create interconnectedness, community and an element of joy. I just finished “Still Life” by Sarah Winman, an incredible gathering together of disparate people to create a found family and a sense of belonging. “The Sentence” by Louise Erdrich, when I read it last year, gave me the same feeling. Ditto for “How to Find Love in a Bookshop” by Veronica Henry, although in a lighter vein. Add to the list “Winter Solstice” by Rosamund Pilcher and “A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers, and I feel buoyed through the winter months by lives of kindness, integrity, and love.
Have a great weekend!
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