a lifestyle blog for book lovers

My favorite finds from around the web:

The life-changing work of making dinner. “Still, every afternoon when the sun starts to cast its thin winter shadows on the snow and my kids come tromping in from the bus, I have found comfort in that movement toward the kitchen. In the daily work of fixing dinner.”

Long overdue: why public libraries are finally eliminating the late-return fine. “Now some libraries are deciding that the money isn’t worth the hassle—not only that, but that fining patrons works against everything that public libraries ought to stand for.”

You’ll outgrow IKEA at this age. Real Simple shares when major home retailers expect you to age out.

13 general book club questions for any kind of discussion.

News news news!

Reading journal kits are here!

And my family has a move in process this weekend. (Yes, we will be closer to the library.)

On the blog:

One year ago: 20 life-changing nonfiction books that you can finish in a day.

Two years ago: Back to the beginning. “Being dissatisfied with where you are isn’t going fix anything. But admitting that you have some gaps to fill in—that might get you somewhere.”

Three years ago: Let’s talk about highly sensitive people.

Four years ago: Maybe I should read less.

Five years ago: Dressing for the dreary days of winter.

Have a great weekend!

12 comments

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  1. Katy says:

    Thanks for sharing the article about library fines. Our library just notified us that fines are increasing from 10 cents per day to 25. And decreasing the number of books that can be checked out from 25 to 15. I’m hoping to express my concern over these changes and this article will be a great jumping point.

  2. Maryalene says:

    Every time I read stories about other library systems, it makes me think how awesome ours is here. Fines are 15 cents a day and max out at $4.95. They used to suspend your borrowing privileges at $10 but recently upped it to $20. They’ve been gradually increasing the number of holds you can place so now you can enter up to 50 holds and have 100 items out at a time. And everyone there is so exceedingly nice. Shout out KDL in Michigan — you rock!

  3. Kim says:

    I’ve had a library card since I can remember and have always counted it such a privilege. But I also remember the dismay felt as a child, when faced with overdue fines that were hard on our family. My mom was a single working mom and a schedule that changed weekly, so she wasn’t always able to take me to the library in time to return books; nor was I allowed to walk there on my own (and the babysitter had no desire to traipse that far). But books were important to my mom, and she always encouraged me to check more out. She also enrolled me in my first book subscription service when I was four (and taught me to read at that age too). Despite having just a 6th grade education, and coming from a family too poor to have any books at all, mom loved to read and passed that love along to me. I’d love to see libraries do away with fines for overdue books! While I don’t mind paying them when I’ve been forgetful, I can see the barriers they put up for low income families. Making our libraries more welcoming places that feel safe on all levels can only help increase literacy and love for books — which is what libraries should be about, right?!

  4. Kathy says:

    First of all, thank you for your lovely blog and the gift it is!!! And I have a quick random question, have you ever done a post about books to read when your life is so heavy. Seems like so many people are struggling right now and I’m needing something light and inspiring. Thank you!!!

  5. Susan says:

    Thanks for the link to the overdue book fines. My library has instituted auto-renewals for most items now. I think they’ll renew twice before you start getting fined. I looked up their policy to see what it is for fines now:
    Adult/teen books, $0.25/day, max of $5, kids books no fine! There are greater fines ($0.50 per day) for DVDs, video games and new adult books that are housed in a special area by the front desk. We do get blocked from checking out items after you accumulate $10 in fines, but since they are auto-renewing now, I don’t get hit with them too much anymore.

  6. Joy B. says:

    Am curious about the IKEA link; have you ‘out-grown’ it if you are mostly there buying furniture for the your child’s room?. 1 sleeps in their toddler bed, and all of them sleep under IKEA down comforters.

  7. Tara says:

    HA! This “report” on aging out of certain stores is fantastic; I’m sure, as a cheap-as-heck home goods buyer, I would completely skew their numbers. I am (maybe unfortunately?) definitely not a fan of home decorating, buying home goods/furniture, or items in any of those categories; I would rather spend money on travel, running gear or books; I still search for cheap finds at IKEA! 🙂

  8. Kristin says:

    The article about library fines was really interesting. I love that some libraries are realizing how difficult fines can be on families. Our local library system is implementing a “zero balance” policy, meaning you can’t have ANY fines at all if you want to check something out, use the computers, anything. The previous policy was that as long as your account was under $5, you could still use all library privileges. I’m not super happy about the zero balance policy, but I love using the library, so I guess I’ll have to deal with it! 🙂

  9. Carol says:

    A local library by me has a “Wipe Out Fine … Donate Toilet Paper” month that allows people to bring in a roll of toiler paper (still in wrapper) and receive a $1.00 credit towards any fines. All the toilet paper is donatwd to he lpcal rescue mission. People who have huge fines love it. The library loves it because it brings back people who don’t have the money to pay the fines. The fine for a book is $.25/day so this covers 4 days per roll.

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