a lifestyle blog for book lovers

My favorite finds from around the web:

On the heartbreaking difficulty of getting rid of books. “I wondered, can Kondo’s Spartan methods be adapted for someone who feels about books the way the National Rifle Association feels about guns, invoking the phrase “cold dead hands”? I decided to give it a try.”

12 things a highly sensitive person needs. “Busy environments, violent images in movies, or weekends with little downtime can stress you out. Because you’re so in tune with your environment and other people, life can be pretty exhausting, which makes you withdraw — and non-sensitives don’t understand.”

They called it “the worst job in the world” — my life as a Guardian moderator. “I am not arguing against arguing. We should have debates, even extremely heated ones. Winding up the self-righteous is a British tradition, there should be room for it. The only way to fix this problem is for us all to take responsibility for it. That means embracing comments wholeheartedly, it means steeling ourselves for the bad stuff and ignoring it, while engaging with the good stuff. It means not letting the trolls win.”

Charlotte Brontë at 200: why Jane Eyre still resonates. “Jane Eyre is an underdog, and underneath it all, we all think we’re underdogs.”

Heads up:

If you want to try Book of the Month for 50% off, do it now: that offer is about to expire.

I’m on my third month of this subscription and I love it. Every month a panel of five judges each chooses a book they love; subscribers pick one from that curated list and get it shipped straight to their door with free shipping. It’s a fun, convenient, and affordable way to discover books you might not find otherwise.

book of the month club april 2016 selections

Those are the April selections shown above; the May selections aren’t public yet but I happen to know what they are and I will say I was delighted to see three of them and two of them are new to me. (If you’re not interested in any of the selections, you can skip that month.)

Get 50% off a new 3-month subscription with the code MODERNMRSDARCY. That means you get 3 new hardcovers for $7.50 each. If you’re not sure what to get, subscribers can order additional titles each month for $9.99 each. (Free shipping is always included.)

More deals: 

The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle sale is going on right now. Usually I’m all about the books with these things, but this year it’s the courses that are catching my eye: Tsh Oxenreider’s Upstream Field Guide and the Nester’s Cozy Minimalist Mom are both in the bundle. The bundle costs $29, and both courses cost more on their own, so if you’re interested in either one it’s a no-brainer. (I have taken both courses and enthusiastically recommend them.)

Abby Lawson’s ecourse Building a Framework: The Ultimate Blogging Handbook (which I have NOT taken) is also catching my eye. And you know I love Grove Collaborative: one of this year’s great bonuses is a free cleaning kit valued at $30 for new customers, and a free VIP membership for existing customers.

Get the lowdown here. There’s a 30 day money-back guarantee so don’t be afraid to go for it!

On the blog: 

One year ago: My favorite indie bookstores.

Two years ago: Foodie memoirs, creative types, and setting the right tone. “Will and I both read Molly Wizenburg’s memoir Delancey, and afterwards we weren’t talking about the food. Instead, we talked about creativity and leadership, management and collaboration, and our respective workplaces. What are we bringing to the table there, and what kind of people do we need to bring on to push our businesses to succeed?”

Three years ago: Investing in myself. “Over the past 6 months, I’ve noticed something striking about people I admire who are doing their work well. These people weren’t all that much different from me, except for one thing: They were investing in themselves.”

Four years ago: How to find time for your blog in the midst of a busy family life.

Five years ago: Life lessons from Green Gables: learning to mellow like Marilla Cuthbert.

Have a great weekend!

13 comments

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  1. Susan in TX says:

    I have a question about BOMC. What is the shipping like? I was a loyal member of BOMC back in the 80s when it truly was one of the few places to find out about a wide variety of books (pre-Internet) and they used to charge about $3-4 per book for shipping. Do they still do this? Just wondering what the total cost would be. Thanks!

  2. I had no idea moderating comments on a website was a full-time job. I’m usually one of those people who completely ignores the comments section because I (incorrectly) assume it’s full of angry rants and off-topic discussions. I might just have to start checking them out more often…

  3. Michelle Deckert Richmond says:

    I would love to join the BOTM club but unfortunately I can’t get into the website. I will try later.

  4. Mary Kate says:

    What is the point of getting rid of books, unless you’re moving into one of those tiny homes? I guess it’s a personal choice, but I love overflowing bookshelves and stacks of books on surfaces, and I never want to live in a home without them. That being said, I do get rid of books I don’t like, because I want my book-decorations to be all ones I’ve loved.

  5. I loved the link about getting rid of books- I am rereading Kondo’s book now and the section about books just makes me sad!! This article helped alleviate the guilt I felt about not going through and purging my bookshelves of everything but my “Hall of Fame.”

  6. Maryalene says:

    I loved this line from the book purging article. I think it finally put into words something that has been rolling around in the back of my head about the minimalist movement but that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

    “The elegantly empty apartment speaks not to genteel poverty, but to the kind of hoarded wealth that makes anything and everything replaceable and available at the click of a mouse.”

  7. Nora Trienes says:

    I read the very first link ‘On the heartbreaking difficulty…’ and it finally put in words why I was having difficulty Kondo-ing my flat. AND it gave me a solution! Once I get the new bookshelves (we moved, and the collapsing old IKEA things are being swapped out for a huge wooden model as soon as the old deposit comes in), I will be doing this, and placing all unread books (pleasure and work – I, too, am a writer) in a smaller bookcase in the bedroom to motivate me to read them. Thanks for linking!

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