a lifestyle blog for book lovers

Good morning, readers! I hope you have a wonderful last weekend of 2018. I finished a book before I got out of bed this morning so I’m off to a good start.

My favorite finds from around the web:

• Jane Austen’s subtle subversive linguistics. I love that this also makes the argument for Clueless being the best Jane Austen adaption.

• Instagram is helping save the indie bookstore. “A big part of the reason indie bookstores are thriving is the way they connect to the community, and social media is making that easier than ever.”

• The 50 most anticipated books of 2019. “From hotly anticipated sequels to epic romances to addictive thrillers, book lovers will have lots to choose from next year.”

• How American Girl dolls would decorate if they lived in studio apartments. “Given their rich history and distinct style, we here at Apartment Therapy can’t stop daydreaming about what our favorite characters’ modern studio apartments would look like. (This is how we ‘play’ American Girl Dolls as adults).”

• How to configure your iPhone to work for you, not against you. “However, if you take the time to follow the steps in this article you will be more productive, more focused, and — I’m not joking at all — live longer.”

Journal sale:

We’re having a New Year’s sale in the Modern Mrs Darcy shop! Kick off your new year with a fresh Leuchtturm journal, and for a limited time, use the code NEWYEARNEWJOURNAL to get our class Book Journaling for Book Lovers for free with your purchase of any journal or journal kit.

Want to stock up, or give a journal to a friend? Use the code BOOKBONUS on your order of two journals or journal kits and get a tin of book darts for free. Add the book darts to your cart at checkout, and the discount will be applied when you use the code.

All classes are still $5 off through the New Year, which makes them $10 each. Shop the selection here.

Happy New Year, and happy journaling!

Favorite Instagram:

 

I just finished my 200th book for 2018, and appreciated your suggestions on what to read next before the year is over. (Follow me on Instagram @annebogel.)

On the blog:

One year ago: My 20 favorite listening experiences of 2017.

Two years ago: My 11 favorite posts of 2016. Just like this year, there’s no overlap between this list and the most popular posts of 2016.

Three years ago: 9 books for your New Year’s resolutions. “But if you actually want to keep those resolutions, it’s time to get serious about forming the right habits and minding the right things.”

Four years ago: My favorite books of 2014. This list features a wide variety of titles.

Five years ago: How I did with my 2013 goals (and looking ahead to 2014). “This one bombed but I learned all kinds of lessons in the failing.”

On the podcast:

One year ago: Episode 112: Your best reading year yet.

Two years ago: Episode 59: Prescribing books for what ails you.

Have a great weekend!

13 comments

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  1. Lila says:

    Hi! I am a newbie to the Modern Mrs. Darcy, (Found it yesterday:) and I was wondering if you have any book lists for teens? I’m 16. I am currently reading your book, ” I’d rather be reading” and I love it!
    Have a great day!

  2. Dawn says:

    Woah. I just spent an hour on the iPhone productivity link… great stuff. I guess we’ll see if I stink to what I adopted… happy new year!

  3. Jaia says:

    The American Girl apartments were definitely a childhood flashback. I never had an American Girl doll but I got the catalog and my little sister and I would drool over it and imagine. I love what the illustrator came up with for each girl! Thanks for the link – it reminded me of such a fun memory!

  4. Anna says:

    Just spent the past hour and a half configuring my iPhone. OH GOODNESS. I’m pretty sure this is the best thing I’ve done for myself to get ready for 2019. I’m both ashamed (that I’ve been using my phone as a toy, not a tool) and delighted (that now I have it set up as a tool, not a toy). 🙂

  5. Rachel says:

    Have you read The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper? That was our most recent book club selection.
    I’m currently reading Killers of the Flower Moon. It’s good so far!

  6. Deborah says:

    Thanks for the link on configuring the iphone for more productivity. I spent a chunk of time on it and I’m thrilled with my new set up!

  7. Tess says:

    Just a warning for those who want to experiment with the wallpaper suggestion in the iPhone configuration article: if you like your current wallpaper from an earlier iOS version, don’t set to black unless you’re absolutely sure that you will like the visual effect! I did set to black, discovered that it was much harder on my eyes than my previous wallpaper, and then discovered that my original wallpaper wasn’t included as an option on my iPhone! Fortunately, I was able to find that design on a website, downloaded and copied it to Photos on my laptop, and then copied the photo to my phone. All’s well that ends well, but what an adventure! “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”!

  8. Rachel says:

    Hi Anne!
    I was doing my year end book count and wondered whether you can audiobooks in your year end count? I remembered that you had recently commented on finishing your 200th book of the year ?????? Did you include audiobooks in that count?

  9. denise says:

    Wow! I’m pretty sure the link to the iphone article has the most helpful info I’ve seen for the iphone in ages. I immediately turned off the in-app review requests and told the rest of my family how to do it next!

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