Links I love

What are you up to this weekend? My high schooler’s last day is today so I’m looking forward to what feels like the first weekend of summer—and a long one, at that! It’s been a busy week and I need to re-group and figure out what’s coming next, but I know I’m looking forward to relaxing with good books, good people, and good food. (Apparently indoors, because our forecast is rain and more rain.)

I hope YOU have something to look forward to these next few days, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.

UPDATE: Will just snapped this 100% authentic photo of me wearing our new MMD sorority sweatshirt: I grabbed it off the foot of my bed this morning, my face is makeup-free because I’m about to get my first facial in seven years, and I’m a little soggy from the rain. It’s the perfect comfy garment for such a morning! But please note, they do not come pre-rumpled: you’ll have to do that yourself.

Sweatshirts are in!

Our first batch of MMD Sorority Sweatshirts is in and they are fabulous! I’ve been wanting to offer an appliqué sweatshirt for YEARS and am thrilled that orders start shipping out today. Our midweight Comfort Colors crewneck is available in two versatile colors, both bearing a deep navy MMD appliqué. They are so cute and comfortable (my 18yo daughter saw me in mine yesterday and said, Whoa, I love it!) and I can’t wait to keep wearing mine on cool summer nights and then all year round.

We have another batch arriving here at HQ in about ten days; order yours here. Your order can be combined with other items from our shop, including our Well Read hat, To Be Read tote, bookstore concert tee, Ampersand Leuchtturm journals, stickers, pencils, and the instant-access digital or the delivered-by-snail-mail print magazine 2026 MMD Summer Reading Guide (we have thirty-something printed Guides still in stock as I type this). Check it all out right 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.

25 Books That Capture This American Moment. (Time) “Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the United States, we asked 25 literary luminaries to each pick one book that they believe reflects where American life is headed or speaks to the present in a meaningful way.”

Florence Pugh is Cathy Ames in East of Eden. (Netflix) The first trailer for Zoe Kazan’s new adaptation starring Pugh, Christopher Abbott, and Mike Faist, coming this fall to Netflix.

The Typo Vibe Shift. (The Atlantic gift link) “Although typos and other mistakes don’t suddenly mean that a piece of writing is good or praiseworthy, to some people, they are at least signs that it is worth reading. On a base level, many of us are willing to invest time in reading a long email if we sense that someone actually wrote it, line by line.”

David Attenborough and the Voice That Revealed a Planet. (The Ringer) “It is indeed one of the great voices in history, precisely because it is history. Other than Queen Elizabeth II, who was first publicly recorded on a radio broadcast when she was a 14-year-old in 1940, there might not be another person whose voice has been so thoroughly documented in each of the past eight decades.”

14 recommended reads for those traveling to Kentucky. (MMD) Kentucky is my home state, and I feel like I’m inviting you to come visit me in my part of the world with this list.

Epidurals, for Him. (McSweeney’s) This made me giggle. “At long last, the big day is upon you. A baby’s birth is a significant medical event, and pain management is critical. It takes two people to make a baby, which is why we’ve designed Epidurals, for Him.”

The classics are weird. (Austin Kleon) “My favorite thing about reading “the classics” is that they’re almost always weirder than you think they are. For example: within 50 pages of War and Peace, a bunch of drunks tie a policeman to a bear and throw them in the river.”

Reading Retreats Are the New Way to Unplug and Socialize. (Martha Stewart) “Reading retreats are about stepping outside the daily grind long enough to think deeply again—an opportunity to escape digital-everything and reconnect with yourself and other like-minded people.” Reading retreat is also the theme for our 2026 Summer Reading Guide.

The Secret to Winning on Jeopardy. (The Atlantic gift link) “To win on Jeopardy, you don’t need to learn everything. You just need to learn one thing about everything.”

This Elodie Jersey Maxi Dress (0–20/22) is a striking one-and-done for summer. I love the colors and prints, especially the stripes. (30% all clothing and swimwear right now, including these favorites that I’ve linked before.)

Waiting for the Best Seller: Inside the Pipeline That Stocks the Stacks. (New York Times gift link) A fascinating look at how many libraries process their newly acquired titles to get them ready for borrowing—and how book distributor Baker & Taylor’s closing has scrambled that process.

This week on What Should I Read Next? I “unboxed” the Minimalist Picks from our 2026 Summer Reading Guide. Listen in to get a taste of what Unboxing is like! The Minimalist Summer Reading Guide is always on the blog and this week we hope you enjoy experiencing it in audio form.

Art, but Make It Sports. (Mpls St Paul) “He has an incredible memory for fine art images. When he sees a sports photograph, he can recall, off the top of his head, a pose, or a style, or even just a figure or a form, from a painting or a sculpture. And then he posts and just lets the two images comment on each other.” These pairings are so cool!

A “Book Crawl” Is My New Go-To Solo Date—Here’s How to Plan One. (Real Simple) Love this idea! This would go well with our next Readers’ Day with MMD Book Club.