Happy Friday! In what has almost felt like an annual fall tradition, I’m on the road to meet readers in North Carolina. I hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend, wherever you are. (And if I get to meet you here, so much the better!)
My favorite finds from around the web:
- Hundreds of thousands of people read novels on Instagram. They may be the future. Have you experienced this phenomenon?
- We make this lentil vegetable soup on repeat when it’s cold outside.
- After 137 years of service, Bisbee’s library is declared best in America. It’s easy to see why: from the seed library for gardeners to figuring out a way to open a rural annex after budget cuts, this Arizona library is serious about serving its community.
- Why Everything Is Getting Louder. “Human noisemakers have to sleep, but our mechanical counterparts, which do not tire, die, or strain their vocal cords, can keep up a constant, inescapable clamor.”
- Tea season is HERE. We’re stocking up on Tazo glazed lemon loaf and hot cinnamon spice from Harney & Sons, and brewing loose leaf in this adorable teapot.
- How I Make My Lunch Every Day Without Losing My Sanity. I like eating the same few things for lunch every day but I’m always interested in tips like the ones in this article.
Favorite Instagram:
We’re marking our third anniversary of bringing Daisy home this week. Follow me on Instagram @annebogel.
Coming soon:
I’m teaching a new class in the MMD Book Club next week: Book Journaling for Fun and Focus. That’s happening live in Book Club on Wednesday, October 23, at noon eastern time.
Members, you’ll get that info delivered straight to your inbox. If you’re not currently a member and want to get in on that journaling action, click here for more info.
On the blog:
One year ago: 4 travel essentials that made my life much easier this fall. I won’t travel without these things.
Two years ago: 15 riveting books with unreliable narrators or ambiguous endings. “Here’s what I like about these kinds of books: when the narrator can’t be trusted, or the ending is open-ended, the reader has to think for herself to figure out the story. She has to actively engage with the text in a way that other books may not demand. She has to critically evaluate the situations in the pages to figure out what on earth is going on. She has to draw her own conclusions, because the author doesn’t draw them for her.”
Three years ago: My bookstore tour of NYC. I can’t wait to go back to all of these.
Four years ago: 10 engaging audiobooks read by their authors.
Five years ago: My new little book page pumpkin. This was a fun DIY!
On What Should I Read Next:
In this week’s episode we discuss seasonal reading, libraries that aren’t free, books that lend us a little distance from real life when we need it, and the best time of year for a happily-ever-after.
On One Great Book:
If you like the sound of a haunting YA novel that’s a little bit science fiction, a little bit coming-of-age, and that effectively probes ordinary life not in spite of its un-real backdrop but because of it, The Age Of Miracles may be the next great book you’re looking for. This marks the end of One Great Book season 3, but we’ll be back again soon!
Have a great weekend!
9 comments
Good stuff here! I like eating pretty much the same lunch every day too. I wonder if many people are like that? It’s predictable, makes my life easy and delicious!
Me too! It is seasonal though. Now that it is Fall/Winter it is soup for lunch. I am not a vegetarian, but I like Amy’s canned soups. Super easy when I go watch my grandkids on Tues and Thurs. i also bring a fruit for dessert. This works great for me as an 18 yr. WW on maintenance. I also eat almost for breakfast, oatmeal with a banana and blueberries or Dave’s light bread and 2 eggs. I like variety for dinner though.
I have a super high tolerance for eating the same thing every day, so this line in that meal planning article amused me: “I’m not opposed to the idea of all big-batch cooking—just the kind that leaves you with five identical plastic storage containers filled with equal portions of practical slop.” Bring on the practical slop, I say! My lunch needs to be functional, not beautiful. 🙂
LOVED the article on the Bisbee Library. I lived in Bisbee in 2001 and 2002 and would walk from my house through downtown to the post office every day to pick up my mail, which is located under the library. It really is a fantastic library and Bisbee is full of so many creative, resourceful people that I’m not surprised at all that it has continued to thrive despite budget challenges. It’s a very fun and interesting town and part of the world to visit in general – thanks so much for sharing this!
I just read “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” last weekend and LOVED it! Then I found out it was a show on Netflix as well and watched that as well. Of course I always like the book better, but the show wasn’t too shabby.
Great link on the Bisbee library. If 60% of the town has library cards, they must be doing something right!
I don’t have a comment it’s more of a suggestion. I recently became aware of the need for book groups for incarcerated women. My friend volunteers at a women’s prison ministry group and also helps run their book group. She was upset when the group’s funding stopped. It was my turn to host my book group the next month so I asked my book group member if they would donate their copy of Women Talking which I am now donating to the women’s prison book group. A friend of one of our members heard about the project and her book group is doing the same thing so now the Maryland Women’s Prison now have books for two months. I am hoping this continues so the group will stay active. Anyway, I thought I would put this information out there since I had never heard about this program and I think if I were ever in prison I would need books.
Anne-please help! My husband asked me the other day to please share my list of ideas for Christmas with him. Isn’t that sweet ( sadly the question was born from a recent birthday where I wondered if the card was it.) It’s not about the gift is it? Its just about someone you love making a tiny bit of an effort:) So my first thought to what I really want is something on your site to do with the book club community. I am a little confused though as I am newish to the site and know there are a few things that you can be a member of. I cant discern which would be the best choice for me between patreon, book club and so forth. Perhaps a side by side comparison list could be made before the holidays to share with your readers of what is available?
I must quickly share that I really enjoy your podcasts, had read your beautiful book about a year ago and did not know about or start listening to the podcasts till last month so I am late on much (ok thank you for the step by step on how to listen to podcasts-grateful even if slightly embarrassed that I needed that, but now am on a roll, started from the beginning so still in 2016.) Also I took your book journal email link to an office store to have printed on nice heavy paper that is now in a lovely 3 ring binder. That was a very generous gift to give to your readers. I’m really enjoying recording my book thoughts in it! Thank you for all you and your co-workers do to add joy to your readers days, you have introduced me to many writers I had never read before. I love that my reading world has expanded and my old thoughts that reading 12 books a year was plenty has now increased to 23 in just a few short months. Next year even higher, time is ticking.
Jennifer, thanks so much for these kind words!
As for Patreon vs Book Club, this post may help; scroll down for the answer to this exact question. https://modernmrsdarcy.com/faq/