a lifestyle blog for book lovers

Happy Friday, friends. I hope you’re safe and well this weekend. This weekend I’m spending a few days in the woods for a much-needed time away from my house and the internet, though it’s been so long since I left my neighborhood I imagine it will feel pretty strange to do so.

My favorite finds from around the web plus a few favorite things:

  • What Is an Anti-Racist Reading List For? “The books are there, they’ve always been there, yet the lists keep coming, bathing us in the pleasure of a recommendation. But that’s the thing about the reading. It has to be done.”
  • Now that my teens have figured out how to make their favorite coffee shop drinks at home we’re going through massive amounts of our favorite cold brew coffee.
  • Don’t Just Read About Racism—Read Stories About Black People Living. “Everyone wants to learn more about American race relations. Everyone wants to know how to be and what to do now. How to fix it. And that’s really great. But I can’t help but wonder how different the world would look if we’d all grown up seeing Black people do the stuff white people did in books. Going on adventures. Saving the day. Falling in love. Solving mysteries.”
  • This week I restocked this favorite drugstore cleanser. We go through A TON of personal care items at my house (thanks to myself, two teens and one almost-teen); if you have beloved drugstore products I’d love to hear about them in comments!
  • One young black chef on what food media needs right now. “In the grand scheme of things, anyone can write about any topic. But the fact that the recipes and culture of many people of color aren’t widely taught, it’s hard to write about things most people haven’t been taught about.”

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Have a great weekend!

21 comments

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  1. Amy says:

    Thank you for the recommendation on the cleanser! I have a preteen who is starting to get interested in make up and skin care, and I’d like to find gentle cleansers and moisturizers. This is a great start, and if anyone has a suggestion for a moisturizer for young skin, I’m all ears!

  2. Suzanne says:

    I finished The Jane Austen Society this week, in both print and audiobook, and can verify that it was fantastic in both formats. I even broke ‘the rules’ and ~gasp~ made notes in my book!! August is too long a wait to discuss it in MMD Book Club; we need to have Austen in July this year!

  3. Nichole says:

    My skin decided it was sensitive to almost everything after I turned 35, so I’ve been struggling with my go-to’s no longer being options. A friend recommended a brand called “The Ordinary”, which is almost a sort of branded no-label option highlighting key ingredients. I’ve been using the squaline cleanser and the azelaic acid lotion for a couple of days and so far, so good… fingers crossed!

  4. Jessie says:

    Thank you for pointing out the flaws that continue with the NYT best-sellers list. My high schooler’s summer reading assignment still includes choosing a book from this list, and I hate the way it excludes certain kinds of authors. If teachers nation-wide would stop using the list, we could really make some headway in putting relatable books into all kids’ hands.

  5. Tracey says:

    If you want to save some coin, you should get a Toddy Cold Brew system. They are fantastic and it makes great coffee, with your choice of beans.

    I’ve had mine for about 10 years and ever summer it gets used a lot.

  6. Mariah Hanley says:

    I just finished My Favorite Half Night Stand and laughed until I cried a couple of times reading it. Highly recommend it as an (open door!) romcom book.

  7. Kristin says:

    Loved the Cosmo article on reading beyond books on racisim! Do you have any recommendations on books for girls just starting to read chapter books with black heroines?

    • Tamara says:

      One Crazy Summer features four black heroines: three ages 5-10 and their mother. It takes place primarily In Oakland in the 60’s and touches on the Black Panther movement & Huey Newton but, mostly focuses on the girls learning about the power of community, to be proud of themselves & their heritage. We adored the audio version with all the fabulous voices.
      There are two books that follow it:
      P.S. Be Eleven and Gone Crazy in Alabama.

    • Beah says:

      I would recommend The Dayamode Daniel series by Nikki Grimes. For an older classic Zeely by Virginia Hamilton is wonderful.

    • Kara says:

      Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry is a classic with a black heroine, and there are several books that follow. It chronicles a black family’s experience as landowners in the South during the 30’s.

  8. Peggy Coffey says:

    I go to the library or bookstore to pick up books that look interesting to me. I don’t know what color the author is, nor do I care.I get the book because it’s interesting to me. I’m not going to buy a book by any author of any color or race if it’s not what I want to read. I won’t follow the cult of color and be a hypocrite.

    • Aimee says:

      Typo in that last sentence…”I won’t follow the cult of color and broaden my perspective.” There, fixed it for you!

  9. Peggy Coffey says:

    You make the assumption that I live in a box somewhere and refuse to read anything new. How wonderfully progressive of you. I’m sure you earned points for that snark. I read because I love it. Not to virtue signal to all the white wine moms that they actually care about people of color because they read a book by someone that looks different from them. You also assume that I am a white person. Wrong again. But don’t worry, you’re pandering will eventually pay off.

    • Aimee says:

      With whom would I have earned snark points as no one on here knows me? I’m also not part of a book club nor do I drink. I’ve been reading and listening more to people who don’t think (and maybe don’t look, maybe they do) like me and it’s intentional. Most of us aren’t interested in things that don’t align with what we believe which is why it’s important for us to broaden beyond simply what we’re interested in. I’m not intrinsically interested in hearing from people in prison or ex-convicts but I’ve been reading and listening to works by them to go beyond what I have thought/assumed about the judicial system and about their experiences. Maybe it will change my mind and maybe it won’t but I’ll certainly have a broader understanding of the issues. That your mind immediately went to progressive (which I wouldn’t consider myself) and that I am a white mom who drinks wine in a book club (which I don’t and am not) wanting to score points and pander frankly says a lot about your (not you’re) mindset.

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