Links I love

I hope you have a lovely weekend in store. We’re recovering this morning from houseguests and sleepovers—both very fun, but pass the coffee please? I’m also making time to curl up with my current read. (Don’t add it to your list yet—the jury’s still out!)

My favorite finds from around the web:

• I blame my first marriage on Jane Austen. “Austen is our beloved wise cousin, our ally in the quest for the good life.”

• This cheerful bright makes me feel like it’s spring, even if the forecast says otherwise.

• The easiest house plants and the best faux plants I’ve found. “Also, never buy a real asparagus fern. They die spectacular guilt-inducing deaths.”

• A date idea for book lovers. “Usually, I’m in my own world in a bookstore — running my hands over the spines, getting lost in the memoir section, seeing if there’s anything about the Titanic for the boys — so it felt surprisingly romantic to be concentrating so wholeheartedly on Alex.”

• Kristin Hannah ‘Firefly Lane’ to be adapted for TV. “The two girls couldn’t be more different, but their friendship blossoms over the course of the summer of 1974 and they become inseparable. Kate and Tully’s lasting friendship carries them through three decades of highs and lows.”

Favorite Instagram:

Last fall I planted new tulip bulbs and they are coming up soooo slowwwly and I’m a little nervous I did it wrong (is that even possible?). This week I had to remind myself that I did this once before, and it worked, and they were glorious. (Follow me on Instagram @annebogel.)

On the blog:

One year ago: 8 hot new releases paired with 8 backlist titles that will have a much shorter library waiting list. “As readers, we know all about the importance of a strategic pairing.”

Two years ago: 20 books to take you around the world. “Because armchair travel, living room adventure, and vicarious exploration are fun. (Although if you want to be lofty about it, we can talk about how reading outside your typical experience stretches your boundaries, boosts your empathy, and broadens your horizons.)”

Three years ago: When it’s frustration that gets the ball rolling. “As it turns out, frustration is a terrific motivator. But frustration was undoubtably my motivator, and that made me feel like a grump. Why couldn’t I have changed because I was inspired, and not because I was cranky?”

Four years ago: Mind maps: what they are and how to use them. “A mind map takes advantage of the brain’s propensity to work by association, uncovering connections you didn’t know were there.”

Five years ago: Ask, seek, knock. Even though it’s super uncomfortable. “It did not feel good to say I needed something, to say I was lacking. But I’m (re-)learning that it’s the beginning of everything good.”

On the podcast:

One year ago: Episode 124: The challenge of making your reading life your own

Two years ago: Episode 70: The book Anne can’t shut up about

Three years ago: Episode 11: What’s going on beneath the surface

Have a great weekend!