a lifestyle blog for book lovers

Happy weekend, readers! Yesterday my family of six broke from tradition and ran a Thanksgiving 5k before eating All the Things. Today we’re hanging out and putting up the tree before Thanksgiving round 2 this weekend.

I mostly ignore the Black Friday hoopla but I’m snagging a few deals while the price is right. This sweater is calling my name, I refreshed my lingerie drawer at Third Love, I’m eyeing the Allure Beauty Box, and everything at Jenny’s darling Etsy shop is 40% off. Today’s curated book and ebook deals are also pretty fantastic—lots of variety in genre and price.

If you want ideas while you’re shopping, check out our 2019 gift guide for book lovers, plus these bookish gifts for kids who love to read. Also a lifesaver right now: this list of 100 stocking stuffers that will actually be appreciated.

Now I’m off to (hopefully) read the last hundred pages in the book I started last night, because it’s that kind of day. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

My favorite finds from around the web:

  • German Lessons. Such a lovely, moving essay. (Hat tip to my friend Mel for the great read.)
  • I impulse-bought this plaid shirt in Nashville last month; today it’s 25% off (along with everything else at Draper James).
  • If you’re looking for an Advent resource, Week One of my friend Tsh Oxenreider’s new Advent book, Shadow & Light, is available to download for free.

Favorite Instagram:

This mailbox has my name all over it. It was another wonderful weekend in North Carolina, this time for a writer’s retreat. Follow me on Instagram @annebogel.

On the blog:

One year ago: 20 books to cozy up with this winter. Cold, grey days are the perfect excuse to stay inside and read.

Two years ago: Gift Guide for the Jane Austen fan.

Three years ago: The Chair. Has an encounter with a stranger ever changed your life? 

Four years ago: 6 books I had to be talked into reading (that I’m so very glad I read). Sometimes we avoid books for stupid, shallow reasons but thankfully sometimes we give them a chance anyway and discover a great book.

Five years ago: It’s 17 degrees. Let’s go to the park. “If my personal experience has taught me anything about winter, it’s that I need to get myself out of the house and into the fresh air, preferably during daylight, as often as possible.”

On What Should I Read Next:

I had a delightful, deep conversation with Sarah Bessey about why she can’t resist talking about reading. Books can expand hearts and minds, and Sarah has so much to share with me about what books have shifted her perspectives for the better.

On One Great Book:

If you’re looking for a book with the heft and sweep of a family saga that somehow comes in at a compact 225 pages, that gracefully portrays the hard-earned triumphs and cruel devastations of fierce women who fight both for and against each other, full of unexpected joys, tragic misunderstandings, and deep disappointments, all unfolding in descriptive, dazzling prose, Before We Visit The Goddess may be the next great book you’re looking for.

Have a great weekend!

5 comments

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  1. Jennifer Tanner says:

    Thank you for the links. I now have a lovely advent read coming my way! Happy Thanksgiving 🍁 I am thankful for your podcasts and how listening them and reading the blog has enriched my life this year. Just writing in my journal the title of a book I finished, having a reading goal and writing down has been a fun new thing this year. Grateful!

  2. Elise says:

    Andrew Peterson’s “Behold the Lamb of God” is delightfully unlike any other Christmas album I’ve ever heard. Thanks for the reminder: I’m listening to it right now. 🙂

  3. Hey, Anne!!! Happy holidays to you and your family! My family also broke our tradition and went to the scene of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. No, we didn’t atyend the psrade because the crowd is way too much for a baby and his stroller. But we did get to check out the Holiday Lane inside Macy’s flagship store. My mom used to take me and my brothers every year during the holidays and I wanted to share that with my kids. Oh, and instead of turkey we had a seafood feast at Red Lobster. It was baby Avery’s first Thanksgiving and he had some lobster yail,crab legs, and a little lobster mac and cheese.
    I just finished Dear Girls by Ali Wong which I definitely think you’ll like if you’re into humorous memoirs. I’m getting into Whickering Place by London Clarke and If You Want to Make God Laugh by Bianca Marais. Happy reading!

  4. Naomi says:

    Andrew Peterson’s “Behold the Lamb of God” is far and away the best Christmas album I’ve ever heard. We have seen the concert 7 times, including driving last year from Minnesota to Nashville just to see it at the Ryman.

  5. Susan Herrington says:

    Totally off our favorite subject of reading, you had a picture of the prettiest holiday dishes I have ever seen. Who makes them? My web search has been fruitless.

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