a lifestyle blog for book lovers

My family is just back from a week in Colorado for a family reunion, which explains both the mountain pics and my quiet on the internets this week. (If you ever find yourself in need of a media break, I highly recommend camping out at 7000 feet for a week. Breaking your space bar and landing your laptop in the shop before you leave isn’t essential, but doesn’t hurt.)

My favorite finds from around the web:

• Jane Austen’s most widely mocked character is also her most subversive. “The willful disregard Mrs. Bennet shows to the sensibility and decorum most of her compatriots value so highly is not her weakness but in fact her greatest strength.” (This perspective reminds of a Jane Austen memoir I loved,William Deresiewicz’s A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter.)

• The birthday bookstore road trip begins! Donna is an MMD reader whose birthday road trip filled me with book lust: she set out to buy 50 books at independent bookstores all along the West Coast to celebrate her fiftieth birthday. (She told us all about it on Episode 83 of What Should I Read Next.)

• The faces behind Craigslist’s “Strictly Platonic” personal ads. “We already know everyone’s looking for love. I’m more concerned with our social requirements beyond romance.” Heads up: not all of these listings are safe for work (or my grandma).

• Stovetop americanos. For our anniversary, I got Will this little coffee gadget and then relied on Deb to tell me how to use it in this post from her delightful blog Smitten Kitchen. I use it more than he does. There’s a metaphor there somewhere.

Favorite instagram: 

This was our borrowed home for a week. Not a terrible view to wake up to. (Follow me on instagram @annebogel.)

On the blog:

One year ago: Love is a skill, not just an enthusiasm. A post about love and marriage, riffing on one of the best books I read last year.

Two years ago: My list of 100 dreams.

Three years ago: Spinning out. “Lately, when I get in the car, or lace up my running shoes, or seize a (rare) moment alone on the couch, I somehow know that I need to resist the impulse to grab my earbuds and instead let myself just be.”

Four years ago: All the world’s parenting advice can be distilled to two simple rules.

Have a great weekend!

14 comments

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    • Anne says:

      Opinions may differ, but I don’t think it’s necessary. You’ll enjoy the book more if you’ve read a handful. I would hope the book would inspire you to take a look at the original works you haven’t gotten to yet. 🙂

  1. Jere says:

    Just a question. When I first signed to subscribe to MMD I thought it was the MMD Blog. now much later and book poor every email that arrives tells me to read it “in the blog” I need to know why I have to go to the blog if the information is right under that instruction? just how many different MMD “go to blogs” are there? I don’t want to miss any.
    Thank you very much. Jere

    • Anne says:

      You don’t have to go to the blog unless it’s a post that will look terrible or confusing by email, which means posts with lots of photos, and all book list posts. Many people like to get the email but prefer to read on the blog, and we always link directly to the appropriate blog post in blog notification emails because that’s the only way to see the comments section.

      I hope that helps!

  2. Donna H. says:

    Thanks Anne for linking to my birthday road trip post. It was so much fun and I’m sure no one will be too surprised that I didn’t quite keep it to 50 books. I’m happy to report that the 18(!) bookstores I stopped at were often full of people buying books which warmed my heart. I decided to start with reading one you mentioned on my podcast episode-How to Read Literature Like a Professor-since it’s our book club flight pick plus I’m hoping it will give me some tips on how best to read the other 50 🙂

    • Annette Silveira says:

      Donna-I listened to your episode with Anne, and I’m so excited to follow you on your trip. Have the best time!

  3. Guest says:

    Did you rent a house? I am researching a family trip to Colorado next summer and am having the HARDEST time coming up with where we should stay. Too many options! My favorite option is a tried and true recommendation. 🙂 Any recommendations??

  4. Jill C. says:

    After listening to the Donna podcast, I have came up with a plan to adapt Donna’s 50 birthday bookstore for my upcoming 49th birthday. I am going to attempt to read 50 books over the next year, starting with a book published in 1968 and continuing by reading a book published in each year of my life. Hope this goes well and I can make it through. I was searching for the first couple choices and I decided to not to be hard on myself in attempting to accomplish this so if I need to catch up or have an easier break I will select a children or young adult book from a year to help me. Thanks, Donna, for the inspiration and Thanks, Anne, for the podcast allowing me to come up with this idea to celebrate my 50 years of life!

    • Donna H. says:

      Hi Jill-I am so excited to read your comment and I think your idea is amazing! I think that’s smart to pick some shorter books too because 50 is definitely a lot but hopefully it’s fun whatever the number ends up being. I’d be so curious to see what you end up reading! Have fun, happy birthday, and thanks for sharing your idea-I bet you will inspire someone too.

  5. Molly says:

    Thank you for posting that link to the essay about Mrs. Bennet. I don’t quite agree with some of the points the essayist makes, but hers is an intersting POV to consider next time I read P&P. I read through all the subsequent posted comments as well and enjoyed the discussions as well.

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