a lifestyle blog for book lovers

Happy Friday, readers! I hope you have a fun and relaxing weekend ahead of you. Our weekend is packed with graduation parties, dinners with old friends, and—let’s be honest—yard work.

My favorite finds from around the web:

• This writer-inspired tiny house is perfect for book lovers. “Named the Cornelia after internationally renowned children’s author Cornelia Funke, the tiny house serves a three-in-one purpose as a writing studio, guest house and library.”

• Dear Dean St, Meet Beau. I loved both the thoughtful reflection on privacy and personality and the go-big-or-go-home video to accompany it. I watched this with a big stupid grin on my face the entire time. Congrats, Hilary.

• Nick Offerman: Wendell Berry’s works are a multi-plattered feast. “You are in for a treat like no other, the kind of treat you want to last a long time, like a good massage or a soaking rain. Now skip this further twaddle and get to the book.”  (Related: Will just read Gumption and gave it 5 stars.)

• Episode 16: Reading, Writing, and Personality. Recently I got to chat with Suzi about three of my favorite things on the How to Create podcast.

• Brightly and Melissa & Doug have teamed up to offer your family the chance to win the ultimate summer fun pack: 50 brand-new books handpicked for them and $1,000 worth of Melissa & Doug toys! Go here to enter. (Penguin Random House is a big 5 publisher of some of our favorite titles and an affiliate partner.)

• Beauty PSA: Sephora has a little sale going on right now. I like my makeup basic (aka boring to makeup junkies), and was thus delighted to find two basics I’ve been eyeing for half price: the Get Me Some Nude Lip Sampler for $14 (instead of $28) and the all-matte Naked Ultimate Basics Eyeshadow Palette ($27 instead of $54). If you hurry you can pop over to Instagram stories before it expires and hear me talk a little bit more about makeup.

I strongly considered this smaller Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette for travel ($19, down from the usual $29) but decided I only needed so much eyeshadow in my life. But maybe it’s just what you’re looking for?

Favorite Instagram:

I had a great surprise mail day this week—my advanced reader copies arrived in a deceptively boring brown box. (I wish I had one for all of you, but I only have five!) Glimpse a few pre-order details here. More info on where/how to redeem coming soon. (Follow me on instagram @annebogel.)

On the blog:

One year ago: 17 books everyone will be talking about this summer. This is last year’s version of this list, which means they’re still great summer reads but with shorter library lines.

Two years ago: 2 questions to refine your personal style. “Maybe you’ve been asking yourself these questions for years. But to me they were a revelation.”

Three years ago: The ten-item wardrobe. “Some people might think this topic is superficial, but we all have to get dressed. If you put some thought and organization into this daily task, you can completely change your life.”

Four years ago: How to quit Diet Coke. “Wanna hear my best reason for quitting? When I gave up diet soda, I stopped craving sugar.”

Have a great weekend!

7 comments

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  1. Maria says:

    I love your links every week but this week was exceptionally fun.

    I think I just put that tiny house on my bucket list. And I’ve just recently revamped my closet and totally feel you on the 10 item staple. So much more refined and so much easier.

    You’re summer reading list is amazing. I’m literally thinking of taking my vacation time in a manner that allows me to hunker down and read.

    Have a great long weekend.
    XOXO

  2. SoCalLynn says:

    I just bought my first Wendell Berry book, Jayber Crow. Nick Offernan’s piece was so descriptive (unlike this comment) that I want to move it way up on my stack now.

  3. Ilana says:

    Dear Ben, dear Anne,
    I just listened to your episode and wanted to give you some more recommendations that I immediately thought of when listening to your favourites and Anne’s recommendations:

    – The “Artemis Fowl” series by Eoin Colfer
    I thought it was cool, but I am very keen on fantasy. So this is a series about a rich spy (kind of James Bond, but 11 years old), set in Ireland, and the trouble begins when Artemis, our main character, finds out that the tales about dwarfs and centaurs and pixies/fae are true, that these creatures exist, and that they desperately trying to hide themselves from humankind. But nobody tricks Artemis Fowl, the super brain… 😀 It’s a lot of fun, fast-paced and action packed (even though for my taste sometimes to gun-heavy). The books also might have illustrations in it and the German audiobook at least was also rather a radioplay than a simple audiobook (the narrator was great, doing different accents on the characters and such). But that might just be the German audiobook.

    With the second recommendation, I am more sure that this will be right up your alley (with Artemis Fowl, I’m not quite sure because of the fantasy elements):
    – “Flavia de Luce” series by Alan Bradley
    This is so much fun. It’s also a series about someone around your age. This time, it’s a girl, and she solves mysteries in her hometown in England. I have read and loved 2 books out of this series so far. The murder or mystery cases that she looks into are evolving slowly, the puzzle pieces finally fitting together. Along the way, the reader takes guesses (in my cases, none of them were right), and the resulotion of what happened was always plausible yet surprising to me. This has no fantasy element to it, but awesome characters (Flavia is constantly battling with her sisters, has a love for chemistry and such) and I think you would really love it.

    Hope you enjoy those. Happy reading! 😀
    Ilana

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