It’s been a hard week, y’all—between winter hardships and the weight of the world, there’s a lot to carry right now. To my friends in Minnesota—my heart is with you; I’m rooting for y’all.
We’re still buried in snow and enduring single-digit temps here in Kentucky. School’s been out all week, so we’ve shoveled and snowblowed (thanks, neighbor) and baked cookies and called our reps every day (on speaker phone with my teenager, to show the next generation how it’s done). This weekend I’m hoping a bit of a thaw is on the way, that the counterweights are abundant, that I get to visit with new friends and host old ones in my home for a much-needed visit.
I hope you have something to look forward to these next few days, and I hope this collection of coincidentally but perhaps serendipitously community-focused interesting reads helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.
Coming soon:
Next week we’ll mark the halfway point of winter, as is our custom around here. I’m nodding along with Barbara Brown Taylor’s old book we draw our inspiration from (a bit more detail on that here): it is so easy to name what’s killing us, and much harder to point to what’s saving our life in a given season. But—I believe on Monday, if it’s ready, fingers crossed—I’ll share my annual reflection on what’s saving my life in this space. You’re welcome to join, with your own web or social media post, or simply by leaving a comment. Not sure what I’m talking about, or don’t want to wait till after the weekend for life-saving reflections? The saving my life archives are here.
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 bookmarking service.
How To Help if You are Outside Minnesota. (Will Tell Stories for Food) From author and Minnesotan Naomi Kritzer.
As grocery prices soar, this German grocery chain is conquering America. (Washington Post gift link) “Aldi’s business model is basically engineered for this moment in time.”
Museum Week: Part 1. “Museums are wonderful places to connect with oneself, with others (throughout history), and with something bigger than oneself. A good museum can be a reset button, after the world has worn you down, a place for one’s brain to breathe.”
26 recommended reads for those traveling to California (or who want to). (MMD) For anyone planning a trip to California or looking for some armchair travel.
Travel Photographer of the Year: The world’s best travel photos. (BBC) Jaw-dropping images.
At the Rikers Jail, the Women Have No Library. But They Have a Book Club. (New York Times) “‘Being in a book club helps us forget exactly where we are,’ she said. ‘It helps with anxiety and depression. It pulls certain inmates together because it’s a time when you’re in a room with people you might not otherwise even talk to.'” This reminds me so much of Monica Wood’s excellent How to Read a Book and our fabulous conversation with her in MMD Book Club.
The Story Behind Needlepoint’s Modern-Day Renaissance. (Vogue) “‘We live in a time now [where] everything is very ephemeral,’ the self-described ‘late-in-life stitcher’ explains. ‘We don’t write on paper anymore. We don’t send letters. Everything is digital. There are so few physical, tangible memories. But needlepoint is something that is physical, that is tangible, that you can see, that you can look at.'”
Ask Anne Anything: 10 Year Anniversary Edition. (What Should I Read Next?) Live and unscripted: Will and I tackle a whole bunch of listener questions, both personal and professional. It’s a good time!
American Library Association announces 2026 Youth Media Award winners. (ALA) The newly announced winners and honor books for a slew of awards—Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, Alex, and more.
The video store is ready for a comeback … as a community centre. (CBC) I love this. “‘It seemed kind of joyously anachronistic,’ he says, but he bet on ‘a homespun little pop-up video store’ attracting people from the neighbourhood and beyond, and for nearly five years, it’s been doing exactly that.”
Why Book Retreats Are the Next Big Thing in Travel. (Daily Passport) “Book retreats promise escapism and an opportunity to put aside the distractions of everyday life to focus on a neglected “to be read” list. They offer the chance for avid readers to forge connections with others who share their passion through conversations that dissect reading material and a variety of communal activities.”
Three winning crock pot recipes from a slow cooker convert. Holly shares her unexpected journey to embracing her crock pot, plus three favorite crowd-pleasing recipes.
Think You’re Tough? Spend an Afternoon at Minnesota’s Coldest Ice Fishing Derby. (Outside) “‘Ice is like mechanics wire—you can bend it 100 times and it will never break,’ Bieganek said during a call prior to the derby. ‘But just when you think you’re doing everything right, it will crack.'”
If you’re in need of a fun romp, look no further than our MMD Book Club February 2026 selection: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto. The author will join us for a live discussion on February 25.
Can “Bookstreaming” Save the Literacy Crisis? (Cosmopolitan) “The heroes who could relieve the country of this crisis might have just arrived in an unlikely form: Twitch streamers.” I was skeptical when I clicked, but these videos made me grin so big.
Don’t miss these posts:
15 propulsive literary mysteries that balance plot and prose. It’s hard to beat an unputdownable mystery combined with a beautifully written literary novel.
7 simple ways to read more this year. If you’ve been wanting to squeeze more reading time into your days, these strategies should help.
10 books by authors with a pen name. Pen names are a storied tradition in the writing life.
Have a great weekend!
14 comments
Hello from St Paul, MN! Thank you Anne for sharing the article about helping Minnesotans.
I was excited to see the HMC Diaper Fund and Zion Community Commons called out in the Stand With Minnesota link under donate money. They are in my neighborhood and doing amazing work. I stop by ZCC pretty regularly to drop off paper bags and egg cartons and the work they are doing putting together bags of groceries for families unable to leave their homes is awe inspiring. I’m also going to go volunteer at HMC’s diaper hub today – I was there on Sunday and seeing all the diapers waiting to head out was awesome.
If anyone is overwhelmed by all the options on that list of where to send money I can at least vouch for those 2! But the entire list seemed really well researched, and anything helps!
Stay warm, stay safe! ❤️
Looking forward to the mid-winter post! And Spring is that much closer. Safe to say we’ll truly cherish this year’s springtime.
Also really enjoyed Monica Wood’s book How to Read a Book.
Thanks as always for the links. Have a good weekend.
As a fellow Anne with an e, who grew up and lived in Lexington for most of my life, but now lives in the Twin Cities: Thank you! A kindred spirit indeed.
I’ll add, there are tons of fabulous independent bookstores in Minnesota that are supporting the community as we fight for the soul of our country. Readers, please support these fantastic stores: https://pen.org/book-community-supports-minneapolis/
Friday mornings are for Links I Love — this is becoming a bit of a wake up ritual for me, here in the Pacific Timezone.
I love any talk of museums — I am a total museum nerd. I’ve been so fortunate to visit so many of the great museums of in North America and Europe, but sometimes it the tiny, quirky and weird ones that really stick in one’s memory. I wrote a piece called ‘3 terribly unique museums, and 1 magical set of stairs’ that you might enjoy.
https://thetravelparadox.substack.com/p/3-terribly-unique-museums-and-1-magical?r=5i2n0
We’re living through some pretty heavy times right now — we’d all benefit from some time in a museum, I imagine.
Do take care of yourselves, my friends in the US. You are in this Canadian’s heart.
I’m so excited for needlepoint’s big break. I’ve been doing needlepoint since I was 14, and had tired of old, stodgy canvases. Now I’m able to find canvases that feel fresh and current and I’m exploring decorative stitches. I’m having more fun with needlepoint now, 35 years into the hobby, than ever!
Thank you for the links to help Minnesota.
I appreciate you not posting any shopping links today. Together we stand!
❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for the Minnesota mention and helpful links. I. hadn’t seen all these links in one place even though I live in St. Paul. So many people are committed to making “good trouble” and I’m proud of my community. Knowing that people outside our cities are thinking about us makes a difference. Plus Bruce Springsteen wrote a song for us. Not many people can say that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKSoxG1K7w&list=RDwWKSoxG1K7w&start_radio=1
I became a widow 30 days ago and needed to see this column today. What is saving me is something I am going to make myself reflect on daily especially when I get really down. Thank you for being here!
Thank you for posting about MN, Anne! It really is as bad – or worse — as you’re seeing in videos online. I haven’t seen some of my students in several weeks. Particularly, we’re starting to run into families are needing rent assistance, so if any of the links for MN help above are for rent/mortgage assistance so people can pay bills, those of you who are reading, please prioritize that!
On a blog note, there are so many pop up ads that I can hardly read the blog post itself. There’s one in the top left corner that can’t be moved and is blocking text, the bottom bar ad, the entire sidebar, and another pop up in the bottom right. I know ads are important, so I don’t begrudge you them, but I literally can’t read your paragraphs. Even right now, the top left pop-up ad is covering most of this text box that I am typing in.
Megan, thanks so much for sharing what your experience is like at home right now.
About the ads, I’m really surprised because a few weeks ago I slashed the ads on mobile down to what I thought would be just a whisper. Would you please tell me if you are on a phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, etc? I would really appreciate it because it would help me troubleshoot why you are still seeing so many. Thank you!
Hello!
I read your blog on a laptop.
I so enjoy these weekly posts! This week I want to especially say thank you for the link to how to help Minnesotans. Such great info in one well written piece. Thank you!
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