Happy weekend, readers! I plan to eat sushi, hang with my 11-year-old, and read the new Louise Penny novel (sorry/not sorry). I hope you have something to look forward to this weekend, and that these interesting links and fun things help you ease into that weekend frame of mind.
My favorite finds from around the web:
- The Bestselling Books of 2021 (So Far). Are any of your favorites on this list?
- 11 Facts About Station Eleven. This is fun.
- The invisible addiction: is it time to give up caffeine? “It’s so pervasive that it’s easy to overlook the fact that to be caffeinated is not baseline consciousness but, in fact, an altered state. It just happens to be a state that virtually all of us share, rendering it invisible.” I switched to decaf a while back: 45 sources for great decaf coffee.
- If Prancer The Nightmare Chihuahua Can Find Happiness, So Can You. Did you follow this dog adoption story? What a heartwarming update.
- I am constantly restocking these inexpensive collagen eye zone masks.
- Why are there so many Holocaust books for kids? “Jewish and non-Jewish kids alike deserve such lively, luscious writing and low-stakes conflict, not just stories about trauma.” (NYT has a new feature where subscribers can share a limited amount of articles per month. We’re testing it out here.)
- Everyone On Camping Trip Just Gets Out Of Way While Friend Who Knows What He’s Doing Takes Care Of Everything. Cracking up!
- ‘A cultural masterpiece’: the world’s best new public libraries – in pictures. Next best thing to visiting in person.
- I finally picked up these quick-drying extra-large Turkish towels for our summer camping and beach adventures.
- Just Add Aretha: 11 Movie Moments Made Awesome By Aretha Franklin’s Music. I haven’t watched all of these movies but for the ones I have, her music really did make these scenes shine.
- Those Were the Days of Our Lives. “The 1980s were a decade of neglect, and I haven’t felt freedom or terror like it since.”
- Reading: The DIY MFA. Such a great conversation on The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing podcast.
Readers’ Weekend
Our upcoming Readers’ Weekend is a week away! What are you going to tackle on your TBR? If you’re not sure yet, maybe one (or three) of these 20 short novels you can read in one day will tempt you.
Don’t miss these posts:
- 14 books about nature to inspire your next outdoor adventure. Between the fresh air and beautiful scenery, the outdoors can be vital for mental health.
- I took my 8-year-old to the tattoo parlor and here’s how it went. Did you know children can get their ears pierced at tattoo parlors?
On One Great Book:
Don’t miss today’s brand-new episode of One Great Book, now back for Volume 5! Each week I pull one standout selection off my personal bookshelves and tell you all about it, in ten minutes or less.
On What Should I Read Next:
This week’s guest Shanel Sparr is an avid hobbyist but reading holds a distinct place in her life. She’s a serial starter who might have 10 books in progress before finishing one. She also reads different genres at different times of the day! Shanel loves books that explore a character’s interior landscape, especially when that’s packaged in a surprising way, and doesn’t mind going a bit dark, or eerie. Although she has found she has a limit—and so I’m looking for titles that walk the fine line of addressing hard things without tipping into overly tragic.
Upcoming Events:
- July 23-25: Readers’ Weekend: See this post for more information. We hope you’ll join us!
- July 28, 7 pm ET: Live chat with author Nadia Hashimi: Time for our MMD Book Club discussion of Sparks Like Stars with author Nadia Hashimi! (Events are available as replays for members who cannot attend live.)
- July 31, 3 pm ET: Backlist Book Club: Young Jane Young: Whether you’re a long-time MMD Book Club member looking to revisit some favorites, or a new member wondering where to start, we’re taking a look back at some of the best of Book Club from the past few years.
- August 24, 1 pm ET: Live chat with author Elizabeth Brooks: Time for our MMD Book Club discussion of The Whispering House with author Elizabeth Brooks! (Events are available as replays for members who cannot attend live.)
You can find more upcoming events here.
Have a great weekend!
12 comments
Wow! Those libraries are gorgeous! Love the one in Australia.
Hey Anne,
I just love your blog . impressive blog with great content.
Thanks a millions for the shares.
So…I was real curious about that bestseller list, since I just finished Song of Achilles and am singing it from the [Olympus] mountaintop. But while I’m fascinated by The Dust Bowl and the resilience of survivors of the Depression, I just couldn’t love The Four Winds. I’m kind of surprised to see it take top billing. Anybody else not in love with it?
Just because The Four Winds was bought by a zillion people doesn’t mean they all liked it when they read it, or even read it at all! It was the hype that drove them to buy…
Oh, I DiD love it!🤷🏻♀️
And I agree with Suzy! I did not!
Anne, I’m disappointed that you are reviewing new books for One Great Book, I feel like they’ve already been done in your SRG, and I really want to hear more about Backlist titles! Surely there must be more favorites on your shelves or in your memory!
Thanks for the decaf coffee recommendations. Also love the pictures of new libraries. One thing I have missed lately is when I click back to an older post, the date written is no longer listed. I found that to be helpful for many reasons.
I agree Leanne – I wonder why the dates have been removed. Maybe so they can use older posts without anyone realizing they are old? But why would they do that? Anyway, hopefully someone will enlighten us.
I’m planning a girlfriend trip to Louisville in September. Any recommendations for places to go/best of list, etc.? Thanks!
https://modernmrsdarcy.com/louisville-city-guide/
Oh, that story about Prancer – my heart!! Just goes to show that with the right support in the right environment, even monstrous hell-dogs can thrive ❤️