What are you looking forward to this weekend? I’m excited about enjoying a few sunny and warm days (far from last week’s single-digit temps!) and welcoming a college kid home for spring break.
I hope you have good stuff on your horizon, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.
My favorite finds from around the web:
I offer gift links for articles whenever possible (you may still need to create an account with the publication); if there’s no gift link and you’re not a subscriber, check to see if your library carries the publication or use a service like Pocket.
‘Anne of Green Gables’ Star Megan Follows to Play Its Author Lucy Maud Montgomery in Series ‘Lucy. Maud.’ (Variety) The series I didn’t know I was longing to watch.
Over Winter? Try Dressing Like A Nancy Meyers Character. (Long Live) “I love her characters and their mature, aspirational yet approachable style. It’s a casual luxury I didn’t grow up around in the Midwest. But after over a decade of dipping my toe in New England summers, I’m just as taken by this effortless elegance. Plus, the basics her female leads, usually in their 40s+ wear are all luxurious. Nothing’s too tight. Everything’s comfortable.”
Liz Moore has not lost the plot. (Frump Feelings) I love her work. “It took me about three published books to think of myself as somebody who was very story forward. Now, a fundamental part of how I write is asking a big unsolved question, whether it’s a mystery of identity or a mystery of genealogy or personal history or whether it’s a more traditional there’s been a murder or disappearance.”
Signature moves: are we losing the ability to write by hand? (The Guardian) “It is popular to assume that we have replaced one old-fashioned, inefficient tool (handwriting) with a more convenient and efficient alternative (keyboarding). But like the decline of face-to-face interactions, we are not accounting for what we lose in this tradeoff for efficiency.”
I made Sam Sifton’s easy pickleback slaw as a side dish to go with burgers this week and it was a big hit. (NYT Cooking gift link) I’ll be making it more as the weather warms up.
Why scam texts simply will not stop. (Vox) “It’s not just that you’re getting bombarded with more text scams than ever. The texts are also starting to get really sophisticated.”
Why children’s books? (London Review of Books) “Children’s books, at their best, are engines of wonder, accessible to us right at the beginning of our understanding: books written to offer the still new human a vision of the world not only as it is, but as it might be.”
15 Breakfast Foods That Pack More Protein Than an Egg. (SELF) My blood sugar levels can be a little crabby so I watch my protein intake closely. So many good ideas here!
This Is How We Fall Out of Love with the World. (Culture Study) “These cuts don’t just signal the end of public works as public good. They also signal the twilight of the passion job, better known as the jobs performed by millions of Americans, often at great personal expense and sacrifice, simply because they loved the work that they did.”
I’m looking forward to our next MMD Book Club author chat! Monica Wood will join us on March 27 to discuss How to Read a Book, which was a 2024 Summer Reading Guide selection.
A rare ‘parade’ of all 7 planets will move across the night sky this week. (NPR) Whoa! “To catch a glimpse of the seven visible planets, astronomers recommend starting to look for them about half an hour after sunset.”
14 novels to help you explore climate fiction. (Modern Mrs Darcy) Explore the impact of a changing earth on our lives, relationships, and communities through climate fiction.
50 Years of Travel Tips. (The Technium) Souvenirs, McDonalds, hidden gems, travel companions: I wish I could download these into my brain.
Don’t miss these posts:
17 recommended reads for those traveling to Florida. For anyone planning a trip to Florida or looking for some armchair travel.
Book journaling tools for every reader. Calling all pen geeks!
9 nonfiction books that will make you a better friend. Making—and keeping—friends as an adult can be tricky, but these books can help.
Have a great weekend!
7 comments
Thank you, Anne. I listen to your podcast religiously. The Anne Helen Petersen link is a gift that needs to be spread far and wide.
I agree with the AHP link! Important, sobering information, along with several easy ways to take action against the cuts to essential personnel in our Parks.
Love all yo “Links”… I belong to the Book club but was unable to watch the author chat yesterday. Wondering if it didn’t happen or if something is wrong with my subscription.
The chat did indeed happen yesterday! We want to make sure you’re getting our emails so you can access future Book Club events. Please contact support (at) modernmrsdarcy (dot) com and they’ll look into it for you.
Oh my, Anne of Green Gables is my favourite book ever and I can’t wait to watch Megan Fellows playing the author. It’s lovely to have something to look forward to.
I was fascinated and appalled in equal measure by the article about how handwriting is disappearing. I use email and the computer, sure, but I know how to write!! And I do handwrite, a lot! The article used the expression, “quietly disappearing” and I wondered, WAS it quietly? I mean, were parents informed? Was anybody’s opinion asked? Did parents have a say? I wasn’t aware of it until I got a card from my graduating senior grandson and it looked like it was written by a 6 yr old. They assured me he was very bright and did very well in school. I had to question that! Obviously he did not do well in the handwriting (and composition) part of his education, but his parents told me that he didn’t learn it. It’s all key board. I’m just gobsmacked. That anybody could think it was unnecessary. That anybody might not be able to even write their own signature. What, are we back to signing with an X? I tell you, if I had a child in school today, and he/she was not being taught to write, I would have the child practicing every day after school for a half hour. He would write Thank You and Get Well cards, she would keep a journal, he would make creative signs, she would write my grocery list, keep a day book and write haiku. By hand. I remember things better when I write them down by hand. I like the feel of a good pen in my hand (and that brings up another question, are the sales of pens suffering? Will they go extinct, too?). The article was a good, scholarly examination of the pros of real handwriting. Thank you! Will be printing it out for my family.
Thank you for sharing that article from Culture Study. It was hard to read, but essential.
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