a lifestyle blog for book lovers

Happy Friday! I hope it’s been a great almost-spring week (according to the calendar, if not the thermostat) wherever. This weekend we’re entertaining houseguests, switching out seasonal decor, and starting in on that yard work.

My favorite finds from around the web:

• The 10 commandments of furniture placement.

• The beginning of silent reading changed Westerners’ interior life. “People think of reading as the introvert’s hobby: A quiet activity for a person who likes quiet, save for the voices in their head. But in the 5,000 or so years humans have been writing, reading as we conceive it, an asocial solo activity with a book, is a relatively new form of leisure.”

• 30 books for Americans’ 10 most visited countries.

• The stages of realizing you are late. “Showering will take forty-five seconds. I have never showered for longer than a minute.” I wish I didn’t relate.

• Want a chance to fill up your bookshelves? (Of course!) Penguin Random House is giving away a year of books! (Penguin Random House is an affiliate partner.)

Favorite instagram:

I don’t think I’ve ever instagrammed a basketball before. First time for everything? (Click here to follow me on instagram @annebogel.)

Coming Monday:

This past Sunday I launched Book Flight Bonanza, the perfect alternative — or companion — to any March basketball activities, with 8 terrific novels paired with 8 illuminating nonfiction picks.

On Monday we’re sharing our next region: hot new releases and the backlist picks that make them better together. If you want to make sure you don’t miss that list, subscribe below. Subscribers also get a printable bracket they can highlight, use in their book or bullet journal, or take to the library or bookstore.

On the blog:

One year ago: Completing the cycle. “If being an adult means learning how to clean up after yourself, I am really struggling with this adulthood thing. Still.”

Two years ago: What life’s Big Moments really look like. “But so many of my life’s meaningful moments—including the Big Conversations—have zero fireworks or fanfare.”

Three years ago: The 3 things you need to have people over. “If your house isn’t perfect, don’t sweat it: the point is for people to leave your home feeling better about themselves, not better about you.”

Four years ago: 37 fun, useful, and generally worthwhile gifts for your kid’s Easter basket. “I try to get my kids a good mix of essentials (spring/summer shoes, books, socks), seasonal items (garden gear, seeds, sidewalk chalk), and impractical fun (glow sticks).”

Five years ago: Occam’s razor. “I thought I needed a complicated plan to meet my goal, but I made dramatic progress with 3 simple steps.”

Have a great weekend!

6 comments

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  1. It took me three years to read all the tomes of “In Search of Lost Time” by Proust. It was like savoring a very high-quality chocolate–so rich and dense you had to take the time for it.
    As for reading aloud, my teen would kill me for saying this, but I still read aloud at bedtime. Yes, to a teen. First, I read in English, and my kid, who has always gone to school in France, used to find reading in English to be too hard. But I had to ensure exposure to all those classics like Tom Sawyer. Now, it’s a little ritual–the phone gets charged in the kitchen, my kid settles into bed and tries to wind down (aren’t adolescents like cats? It’s like they’ve received an electrical shock at night!), and often something in the novel will lead to my kid wanting to talk about something that happened at school….without the ritual of reading aloud and my kid in the secure place of bed, I don’t know whether I would be privy to these confidences.

  2. Eva says:

    I added The Perfect Nanny to my reading list! I love the idea of books based on where you’re visiting. I also really enjoyed the decorating tips, particularly the one where a chair needs to have a buddy! It seems so basic, but it’s hard to remember when you’re in the midst of placing furniture that you need to set a little stage in each place.

    Eva | http://www.shessobright.com

  3. Ashley says:

    Completely unrelated, but how did you teach your kids to read? I looked around your blog but I didn’t see anything. Did I miss it? If not, I’d love it if you could share what you used. My daughter is 4.5 years old and is starting to show an interest in reading so I’m curious as to what has worked (or not ) for others. Thank you!

    • Ashley says:

      Don’t know how I missed it before but I found a post where you mentioned what you used. Sorry! I can’t wait to look into it.

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