Happy Friday, readers! I’m looking forward to my first weekend of freedom after turning in my book. My big plans include removing my winter clothes from my closet and vacuuming my baseboards. I am not kidding, and I am so excited to finally tend to these tasks!
I’ll also be preparing to discuss our June Book Club selection with the author herself on Monday. Jennifer Robson will be joining us to talk about The Gown. If you’re not a Book Club member, sign up here.
My favorite finds from around the web:
- Exclusive First Look: Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan’s Little Women. What do we think?
- How New York’s Skyline Is Changing To Give The Wealthy A Better View. Fascinating.
- You’ll have to replace your $160 Air Pods every few years. Designed obsolescence is something we talk about a lot around here, along with how things just aren’t built to last. Readers, I’m on the hunt for new earbuds I can wear while running. Please share your favorites in comments!
- Carnegie medal goes to first writer of colour in its 83-year history. Well-deserved honors for Elizabeth Acevedo.
- Are you following me on Bookbub yet? Once I reach 1000 followers there, I’ll be able to send out a pre-order alert when my next book is available. You’ll also receive alerts when I have an ebook on sale!
- Speaking of deals: my book I’d Rather Be Reading is currently 47% off on Amazon. Get your copy here (for just $7.88!).
Favorite Instagram:
I just turned in my manuscript for my third book. I tell you all about what this stack of notecards represents over on Instagram.
On the blog:
One year ago: 6 strategies to get out of your reading rut. Tried and true tips! And well timed, considering the rut I told you about in this week’s newsletter.
Two years ago: 25 great stories about the immigrant experience. “Depending on which title you choose, this could be your opportunity to take a journey you’ll never actually live, to travel back in time, to better understand your neighbors, or to experience your own land through radically different eyes.”
Three years ago: The difference between a good year and a great year. “And then they all—all four of them—said something interesting, some variation on a theme: it was a good year, an exceptional year, because they had a great group of kids.”
Four years ago: You can tell a lot about a person by… This is still a great conversation starter.
Five years ago: 40 favorite audiobooks for kids.
On What Should I Read Next:
I talked with Michelle Moreno, a real-life bibliotherapist (a therapist who “prescribes” books to her patients when appropriate) turned book-and-plant shop owner. We’re discussing the books she chose for her first foray into handselling, the connection she finds between reading and plant care (an obsession we share), and the moment she found her identity – on a bookshelf.
One Great Book returns today!
We’re back with Volume II, and we’re dedicating our seven-week run to summer reading, of course! Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or right on the podcast site. Happy listening!
Have a great weekend!
27 comments
I admit I’m skeptical about the new Little Women. I loved the new one that BBC did last year so I wasn’t desperate for another remake, and Little Women is a book that’s just really hard to do justice in two hours. The photos do look lovely though, and I do like the idea of Emma Watson and James Norton as Meg and John Brooke — I think they’ll make a convincing romantic pair. Less sure about the rest, but we’ll see. I’ll be reading up on it a lot more when it’s coming out and will hope to be persuaded!
I was so excited when the notification of today’s One Great Book popped up this morning. Love Walked In is one of my top five favorite books of all time! It’s the book I recommend most when someone asks for a good book to read. Such beautiful prose and characters that are likable and worth the investment of time. I’ve read all of de los Santos’ books and they never disappoint. And the most recent. I’ll Be Your Blue Sky was especially wonderful. So glad you chose to highlight Love Walked In.
I’m very excited for another Little Women. I love all of the versions and it is definitely my favorite book from childhood. Also, I am following the comment thread hoping for some good recommendations for running headphones as well. I only have recs for bad ones. . .
In terms of earbuds, go with the cheap ones! I got a pair from Radio Shack (or maybe target) that wrap around your ear so they don’t fall off when you’re running. They also hold their own and continue to work despite years of sweating on/in/all over them. P.S. this is the only place in the world I find an abundance of Leighs
Some names aren’t that common, LOL. I’ve only known a couple of other Pams. BTW, my sister’s middle name is Leigh, as is my niece’s and that of her daughter. A lovely name, indeed!
AfterShokz Trekz Titanium Open Ear Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones, Ocean Blue, (AS600OB) My husband loves these for running. You can hear what’s playing great, but also people and cars! He recommends them to EVERYONE
I agree with you on the Trekz wireless bone conduction headphones. My husband and I both use them for running and I use them when I walk and listen to audio books. They took a little bit for me to get used to them, but now I love them. They are worth the price. They are the best headphones I have used for running. I like the fact that you can listen to something, but also still hear the cars and people around you.
My brother in law uses those when he’s running a chainsaw! It’s amazing!
I LOVE my Trekz!
I love my cheap-ish earbuds with the cord and the ear hooks, because:
– they DO let in road noise (for safety, and because I don’t like that muffled sound that comes with noise blocking earbuds)
– they have a cord, so they don’t randomly lose connection
– they’re easily replaceable (Philips SHS3200BK, in case anybody wants specifics)
My second pair just lost sound in one ear this morning, after six years of use. I’m looking at buying them again, but I’m also kind of interested in those bone conduction headphones since they don’t cover the ear at all.
I love the headphones I got at Costco—Plantronics backbeat FIT. They are cordless but connect across the back of the head, stay in while running, fit comfortably, and I think they cost $50!
After watching a dad unsuccessfully hunt for one of his Bose earbuds in the grass at my daughter’s last soccer game, I support the cheaper option for running. I prefer the Bluetooth earbuds that are wired to each other so I can pop one or both out easily if I need to listen to something/someone or take a listening break, but they can still hang around my neck. With the AirPod type design, you’d have to have somewhere to put them and not lose them, which seems like a hassle for running. I don’t love any of mine enough to recommend them, but I’m chiming in more on the design issue. 😉
I love my Bose Sound Sport earbuds. They are still working after 3 years. They are currently on sale for $49. I bought myself a second pair at the sale price to stick in my drawer and pull out when the old ones finally break!
https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/earphones/soundsport-in-ear-headphones-apple-devices.html#v=soundsport_ie_headphones_ii_apple_charcoal
I have the Bose soundsport wireless earbuds… I use them at the gym every day and I love them.. they are also sweat proof..
I have been counting down the days to the next episode of One Great Book, and today’s episode was awesome! I had to laugh because I just checked out Love Walked In…yesterday! It just jumped to the top of my TBR list (as soon as I finish Lonesome Dove)!
I don’t have a lot of experience with Bluetooth headphones, but my husband and I recently purchased a couple of pairs from TJMaxx that we really enjoy. We bought the kind that go around the ear and have a cord the connects the two earpieces together. I’m hopeful that we have the good fortune of a previous commenter whose headphones lasted six years! Only time will tell!
Not earbuds, but I love RunPhones, which are flat headphones in a headband. I have the wireless ones after using wired ones for years. I also have their SleepPhones, which are the same but with a soft cover.
I cannot believe another Little Women is in the works! I’m equal parts curious and skeptical 🙂
Would you be so kind as to direct me to the form you created and posted to keep track of the books you read? I’ve never done that before but its high time!! THANKS oh so much.
Do you mean this one? https://modernmrsdarcy.com/printable-reading-journal/
I am skeptical about the new Little Women production. I did not care for the BBC/PBS series that came out last year. I will likely watch it, however.
I really love my earbuds:
Phaiser BHS-530 Bluetooth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072L44Y4M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mIJdDbQ7MDX6R
I’m on my third pair of Anker Soundbud Slims. They have a little hook that goes around the inside of your ear, stay in, and are comfortable. They’re Bluetooth but stay connected well and they’re $30 but often on sale for closer to $20 on amazon.
I really love my Aftershokz Trekz. They are bone conducting and don’t go in your ear but over them. They are perfect if you need to hear your surroundings, but are the opposite of noise cancelling. They are terrific for taking phone calls and stay put on a run.
I’m so hesitant about the new take on Little Women – I just don’t think I can let go of the perfection that was the Winona Ryder/Clare Danes/Kirsten Dunst combo!
Congratulations(!) on the manuscript, and I’m SUPER excited to hear more of One Great Book – I loved volume I (you convinced me to add a couple to my TBR that I’d previously disregarded, THANK YOU), and I’m sure volume II will be even better. Keep it up!
Hey Anne, I am late to the party I know. I run with Jaybird Freedom Wireless. They are comfortable and weigh less than the Bose ones I used to wear. They have a removable piece that fits in the outer ear for a snug fit. Let us know which you picked and liked!
Thanks for the rec!