Links I love

Happy Friday, friends! We celebrated a lovely and quiet Thanksgiving here in the U.S. yesterday, and today we’re taking a long walk, playing Ticket to Ride (so fun!) , and putting up more Christmas decorations. But first Will woke up early to knock a few things off the (online) shopping list.

I know many of you are also shopping online today: many items in our gift guides are on sale, and I’ve also highlighted a few fabulous deals in my favorite finds below.

For easy reference, our 2020 gift guides are here:
• The 2020 MMD Gift Guide for Book Lovers
• 15 gift ideas for kids who love to read
• 15 favorite gifts to give and receive
• A bounty of beautiful bookmarks: 20 charming place-holders and page-markers for bookworms to gift and enjoy
• 100 stocking stuffers that will actually be appreciated, don’t feel like a waste of money, and won’t be broken/destroyed/forgotten by New Years

We feature things we love, period. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. More info here.

My favorite finds from around the web:

• How local libraries shaped Octavia Butler’s life in books. This is wonderful. It makes me reflect on the way the library has shaped my own reading life.

• This You’ve Got Mail mug is THE CUTEST—I’ve wanted to share it with you for weeks but it keeps selling out before I can!

• Audiobooks.com has a great limited-time deal: Get 3 audiobooks with a 30-day free trial, plus save up to $50 on gift subscriptions.

• How to Recreate Your Lost Family Recipes, According to Historians and Chefs. Filing this away.

• 32 Short, New Books to Help You CRUSH Your Reading Challenge. So fun to see Don’t Overthink It in this Goodreads list!

• This incredible wine club deal is a no-brainer for wine drinkers. Get $25 off your first order and you’ll be all set for the holidays—or for 2021 book club!

• This pear cranberry and gingersnap crumble was a huge hit at our snug family Thanksgiving dinner.

• Get Hulu for just $1.99/month with their special Black Friday deal. Watch Lost, Little Fires Everywhere, The Handmaid’s Tale, and my favorite, Veronica Mars. This would also make an excellent gift!

• Breaking News: Penguin Random House to Buy Simon & Schuster. I fear this is not good for the publishing industry as a whole, nor for readers.

• My books Don’t Overthink It and Reading People are part of Amazon’s current 3-for-2 sale—along with more books I loved like The Jane Austen Society, Welcome Home, Becoming, The Vanishing Half, Untamed, and 1000 Books to Read Before You Die.

• 12 Houseplants Anyone Can Grow.

• The award-winning Allure Beauty Box is one of my favorite gifts to give, and with your first month for $11.50, it’s a heck of a deal right now.

• 11 Hotels to Visit in Your Dreams. They do look dreamy.

Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist

I still can’t believe Don’t Overthink It made it to the final round of the Goodreads Choice Awards. The final round closes soon so be sure to get your votes in!

Don’t miss these posts:

• 100 stocking stuffers that will actually be appreciated, don’t feel like a waste of money, and won’t be broken/destroyed/forgotten by New Years.

• Why I changed my mind about star ratings. I’ve been notoriously stingy with my stars over the years but no longer.

• A very bookish Christmas countdown. This is a beloved family tradition.

Have a great weekend!