Links I love

Happy Saturday! I’m off to the bakery before they sell out of my faves, then we’re kicking off our extended family celebrations and wrapping up a storm. I hope you have a lovely weekend in store.

My favorite finds from around the web:

• 20 Vintage Snapshots of Mid-Century Women Matching Their Christmas Trees. This brings me joy. Also: goals. (Thanks to my friend Mel at Strong Sense of Place for the link; she always finds great stuff.)

• Last year I made this holiday star bread and it was sooo worth it. I’ll be making it again in the next few days. (Basically I’ll take any excuse I can to buy Nutella.) It looks complicated but is so easy.

• Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington spark drama in first Little Fires Everywhere footage. It’s a short teaser but very promising.

• My current read: this much-anticipated historical novel, coming April 2020.

• The Von Trapp great grandkids sing Edelweiss. So worth the two minutes.

• Letter of recommendation: hot-water bottles. “I feel about hot-water bottles the way Sylvia Plath felt about baths: There must be quite a few things they won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.”

• Is it coincidence that this is my final stocking stuffer purchase? Not a bit.

• So fun to see DON’T OVERTHINK IT in POPSUGAR’s Reading Challenge list for “a book with a pink cover”! If you’d like to upvote it, I’d really appreciate it.

• Why jigsaw puzzles are incredibly good for you. We’ve been discussing our puzzle love at MMD/WSIRN HQ this week. This bookish puzzle is up next at my house.

• There’s a Goodreads giveaway for Don’t Overthink It! (US only.)

Favorite Instagram:

Oh there’s no place like the library for the holidays 🎶 Follow me on Instagram @annebogel.

I’d Rather Be Reading Audiobook Holiday Deal:

Only a few days left to take advantage of this holiday deal from Libro.fm! When you gift a 3, 6, or 12 month Libro.fm audiobook membership this holiday season, you’ll get two free audiobooks as a bonus! You’ll receive my book I’d Rather Be Reading AND Circe by Madeline Miller. You can keep them for yourself or give to a friend. Get the deal here.

On the blog:

Yesterday I shared the most popular posts of 2019. It’s always fascinating to me to see what the general public most wants to read about.

One year ago: A beginner’s guide to happy, healthy houseplants. Knowing that many of you would also like to raise your status from “plant killer” to “not-so-hopeless-after-all,” I shared some of the things I learned on my way to becoming a Plant Lady.

Two years ago: 20 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners to read to complete your Reading Challenge.

Three years ago: What worked for me in 2016. I’ll be sharing what worked for me in 2019 soon. It’s always interesting to see how this evolves from year to year.

Four years ago: 7 books that will make you a better human. Have you ever read a book and thought the world would be a better place if EVERYONE read this?

Five years ago: Last minute gifts for girls. In case you’re scrambling!

On What Should I Read Next:

I let you in on an ongoing conversation that’s been unfolding at my house for nearly twenty years now. My guest is my husband Will, and I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that we talk about books ALL THE TIME, pretty much since we first met.

On One Great Book:

The Snow Child is an atmospheric story about love, loss, and the wildness of nature, perfect for cozy winter reading. (This is our last episode of One Great Book for now—listen to hear more about that.)

Have a great weekend!