What are you up to this Juneteenth weekend? Around here, I’m catching up on errands, hosting a houseful of college kids, and hoping for some quality outdoor reading time (though first I need to decide what to read next!).
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.
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.
Call It a ‘Book-cation’ or a ‘Readaway,’ Literary Travel Is Having a Moment. (New York Times gift link) Relevant to our interests.
The Whimsy and Heartbreak of America’s Garage Sales. (Atlantic gift link) “To be a secondhand shopper is to see the riches of the world and be satisfied that they are enough. Don’t turn any sand into spanking-new champagne coupes on my account. It is also to indulge the wanton impulse of every person to spy on other people.”
Embracing The Limitations Of The Reading Life. (Read and Think Deeply) Applying insights from Four Thousand Weeks to the reading life.
Why Videos of World Cup Tourists Loving Ranch Dressing and Waffle House Are So Moving. (Wall Street Journal gift link) “The resulting flood of social media content is so wholesome, some observers suspect it’s a conspiracy. But as visiting World Cup fans document their encounters with the U.S., millions are still watching along, scrolling through seemingly endless footage with a mixture of awe, pride, delight—and a renewed appreciation for home.” This short little video of a Frenchman experiencing Buc-ees for the first time is my favorite.
Nothing holds my attention like a romance. (What Should I Read Next?) I enjoyed talking about all things summer reading with Kristina Forest, contemporary romance writer and author of the 2026 MMD Summer Reading Guide selection The Summer Girlfriend.
Soothe Your Summer Soul with a Quirky Side-Quest. (The Soup) “Our bodies need wind in our faces and sunshine in our eyes. Our hearts need to quicken and break. Our minds need to rest and flow and spin delicious webs. Our nervous systems need to heal. That’s how we know we’re alive.”
Tom Hanks visited this 90-year-old Bay Area store on Thursday. (SFGATE) “The experience made everyone’s day.” I bet it did!
Audiobook lovers: Libro.fm has a BOGO sale for members from June 12-22. Get two audiobooks for the price of one! (Need ideas? Just this week I shared my favorite audiobooks of 2026 so far, and June Quick Lit is also audiobook-heavy.)
A Bookstore Boom in a Time of Literacy Decline. (Literary Hub) “People are coming for community and the experience of being around people who care about the same things they care about. The act of reading, which is slow, solitary, and at times, demanding, is a related but separate transaction.”
Related: We Launched a Bookstore; We Found Community. (Over the Influence) The scene at a Philly lemonade stand turned impromptu sidewalk bookstore: “We met dozens of neighbors we had never met before despite living on adjacent blocks. People stopped to browse and ended up staying to talk for at least fifteen minutes. Readers started discussing books they loved and books they hated right there on our stoop.”
Fold Laundry With Me! (Atlantic gift link) The case for a lower-stakes social life: “What should you do when you’re missing your friends but you’re totally exhausted? You could force yourself to go out more. Or you could radically readjust your expectations. Just have people over! Don’t make it a big deal. They can just join in whatever you were going to do anyway: watch TV, play with the kids, eat a Trader Joe’s frozen dinner.”
What I’ve been reading lately: the new and the notable. (MMD) My reading life is filled with gobs of backlist at the beginning of summer, as the pendulum swings hard in the direction of old after reading scores of brand new titles to weigh for potential inclusion in the MMD 2026 Summer Reading Guide.
Stop Telling Me I Look Good “For My Age.” (Vogue UK) “It’s the realisation that your body and face have been observed by another person, and been measured against the arbitrary standard of beauty, which is youth, which you are told is a good, desirable thing – which is odd given that youth is a stage that rarely holds hands with self-acceptance.”
Tired of streaming? Film and music enthusiasts turn to physical media. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) “Some are after items they simply can’t find on a streaming platform or have decided it’s too expensive or confusing to have multiple subscriptions. But the conversation and guidance while browsing also appears to be a factor.”
‘Operation Pushkin’: Paris Trial Puts Spotlight on Rare-Book Heists. (New York Times gift link) “The latest chapter in the saga of an international book heist that stripped prominent libraries across Europe of more than 170 rare Russian literary works is being written in a Paris courtroom this week.”
Congratulations 2026 Lammy Award Winners. (Lambda Literary)
Don’t miss these posts:
Explore U.S. National Parks through these 14 books. For anyone planning a trip to one of our U.S. National Parks.
17 sparkling and suspenseful novels set on the stage or the screen. A wide array of fiction featuring actors, camera operators, and set designers—some of whom find way more drama in “real life” than in their productions.
15 novels about creating (and maintaining) a found family. Found family has become an even more popular trope in recent years and I’m here for it.
Have a great weekend!
One comment
Buc-ees! I had to watch the video, and I’m surprised the French guy said gas stations have sad sandwiches and coffee. I think of French gas stations as having surprisingly good food, considering you’re on the road. I love Buc-ees, it reminds me of The Nut Tree (anyone from California?), and their gas prices are almost too low to believe – but I say that as someone who lives in San Diego where we have super high gas prices. And yes to all the typewriters – so fun to see Tom Hanks out and about being a normal person.