Hello and happy Friday! What’s in store for your weekend? Around here we’re planning some needed nature time and reading up a storm.
My favorite finds from around the web:
- Celebrate Sci-Fi and Fantasy Subgenres with These 64 Books. I’ve been wanting to try more science fiction so this is timely list!
- I’m not sure if the Trader Joe’s shelf-stable gnocchi is new or if I’ve just never noticed it before, but I’m so glad I impulse-bought it on my last shopping trip! We made this easy Baked Mushroom, Spinach, and Chicken Gnocchi recipe and my entire family adored it.
- I loved talking all things overthinking on this new episode of the By the Book podcast.
- Searching for Connection While Apart. “We have a new way of life now. And I suppose this is community too; this not being together is how we help one another.”
- Visiting Europe’s Great Libraries. These are gorgeous and I was so happy to spy a library on this list I’ve actually been to!
- I’m once again refilling my favorite drugstore blow dry primer spray.
- NetGalley Expands to Audio, Launches New App. Big news! Has anyone tried the app yet? (NetGalley is a service the provides digital (and now audio) advanced review copies to book reviewers, librarians, media, booksellers and educators. The MMD Book Club has a session on requesting Advanced Review Copies from publishers if you want to learn more.)
- A friend gifted me a teeny tiny puzzle and isn’t it just the cutest?
- The Very Sweet Way Sarah Broom’s Mother Showed Her Love With Books. I love these profiles of authors’ reading lives.
- Marilynne Robinson on Expanding the World of “Gilead.” Fun fact: Adam Verner, who appeared in WSIRN episode #31, is narrating Jack.
- Who Did What in Every Agatha Christie Murder Novel. This is mindblowingly thorough!
Don’t miss these posts:
- I saw the sign. I don’t really believe in signs, exactly. But I do love hearing about the happy coincidences that make you wonder whether the universe is trying to tell you something.
- 20 books featuring seasoned female protagonists. Readers are looking for good books featuring female protagonists who aren’t just in their twenties and thirties. Society may push older people—especially older women—to the sidelines, but must that be true in our books as well? Definitely not.
Have a great weekend!
11 comments
If you are looking for a smart & funny fantasy series, try Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. The Discworld is a whole world. Each book can be read alone, but there are also mini-series in the set. The first book in the series about the witches is called Wyrd Sisters. The first book in the Night Watch series is called Guards! Guards!
I tried the NetGalley App this week and “ read” Switch by Beth O’Leary. The App worked great and I enjoyed the book very much!
They also forgot C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy.
The new app is great, except for when reading the books, you have to scroll vertically, rather than “turning the page.” I also haven’t figure out how to change text size. I’ve only tried it on my phone, though, so it will possibly be a better reading experience on a tablet. But the ability to play audiobooks easily is a huge bonus. I’m looking forward to trying the male-narrated Persuasion this weekend.
Trader Joe’s gnocchi is not new. The very best, yummiest way to cook it is to sautee on the stovetop with a little butter or oil until it gets golden brown on the outside. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste. The outside will be crispy and the inside will be warm mashed potato. So good.
Those tiny puzzles are the perfect answer to my small apartment. Thank you!
Thank you for the link to fantasy/sci-fi books. I’m a fantasy lover, and I appreciate you including more. From your recommendations, I have found and loved City of Brass (18th c. Egypt/Djinn world – big story), The Keep of Lost Things (subtly magical), and The House in the Cerulean Sea (Heartwarming, quirky, a favorite of this year). Fantasy can be as varied as any other genre.
I love a good gnocchi recipe! I made this yummy one recently: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-crispy-sheet-pan-gnocchi-and-veggies-247360
P.S. I wish I could find *any* book with Lynette in the title! 🙂
I’m having mixed results with the Netgalley app, at least for audiobooks. It seems to jump around and doesn’t hold my place, which is frustrating when I’m starting and stopping between errands. I don’t always check where I am when I stop the audio, so I was very confused when it restarted a few chapters ahead. I used it for the first time this morning, so I’m hoping it gets better or was just a fluke.
I noticed beautiful delicate “Anchor Book Mark “……where can I find one? Beautiful book marks are easy to collect and give to someone special!
Thanks, Nancy
I used the NetGalley app to listen to a few audiobooks and it worked ok, but is glitchy. Sometimes it would t continue playing at the end of a chapter, Id have to close the app and come back to continue. 😟