Happy Friday, friends! We can’t go to the beach this year so starting today we’re taking a short staycation, which basically looks like lots of books, movies, food, and outdoor time if the weather cooperates. (If you have any great family movie or show recommendations, let me know?)
I hope you enjoy this collection of reads and fun things to get your weekend started.
My favorite finds from around the web:
- HBO is making Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me into a TV special. This is great news!
- Librarians turned Google Forms into the unlikely platform for virtual escape rooms. I wouldn’t have thought to use Google Forms like this!
- The 10 best drugstore face masks, according to dermatologists. Because skincare is my teen daughters’ new favorite pastime. (They’re especially fond of the peel-able ones—if you have recs please share in comments!)
- ‘Anne with an E’ Season 4 Revival Campaign Biggest in Netflix’s History. An interesting development from fans.
- How to Sell Books in 2020: Put Them Near the Toilet Paper. This makes sense.
- I love this print with a quote from Their Eyes Were Watching God.
- Clueless Is a Great Teen Movie. It’s Also a Satire About the White and Wealthy. Any other Clueless fans here? I’m looking forward to our Book Club watch-along during Austen in August.
- New from J.Crew: Liberty floral face masks. I love Liberty florals, though this is a product I never imagined I’d see.
- The New Nanny Novel Is a Political Statement. “What if the people we hired to take care of our children had feelings, needs, and desires of their own?”
- Real Talk: How L.A.’s Freeways Contribute to Inequality and the City’s Racial Divide. You know I love a good urban planning discussion! “I think we should be questioning ‘whose space is this?’ Who were these spaces created for, whose interests were served by their creation, and whose interests were not served by the creation of these spaces?”
- I went on The Reader’s Journey to share reading tips like why the Book Police don’t exist, why you should consider writing in your books, and more.
- The Great Gatsby prequel set for release days after copyright expires. How’s that for timing?
Don’t miss these posts:
- Branch out from your usual genres this year (and 15 titles that will help you do just that.) This can be especially helpful when you’re in a reading slump.
- Ducks and sponges. “Boundary-setting is naturally easier for some people, but much harder for others. Crawford calls these two types of people ducks and sponges, and her analogy helps me understand why creating savvy boundaries hasn’t been easy for me.”
- Un-put-down-able. I polished each of these 7 books off in less than 24 hours because I couldn’t put them down.
Have a great weekend!
43 comments
Ugh. When I read “Ten best drugstore face masks” above, I thought of a totally different kind of face masks. Not the beauty industry kind. Not the one that makes you have smoother, dewy, fresh skin. The other kind of face mask. That’s 2020 for you. 😷
That’s what I thought too! Face masks to wear in public. ha. Times have changed!
I did, too, and wondered why her teen was into them – ha!
That’s what I thought too😂
Me too!
I love those Veronica Mars mysteries and wish there were more than two of them!
We are enjoying re-watching the series, Ladies Number 1 Detective Agency on HBO. Great stories, characters and setting!
I didn’t realize this series had been adapted for the screen! Thanks for catching me up.
I didn’t know this either! I’m off to look it up 🙂
They did a very good job with it! Check it out!
An enjoyable, heartfelt and funny family movie is a little known Robert Downey (very young) movie titled “Hearts and Souls.” It’s a often repeated favorite in our home. We have introduced dozens of families and friends to it, and they love it too. Successful, self-absorbed man gets a chance to reset his life.
I loved Heart and Souls!! Thank you Carol Ann, I had forgotten about that movie!
I haven’t seen it since my twenties (that’s a while ago) I’ll go see if I can download it from somewhere. I’m always looking for movies to watch with my boys that don’t involve, guns, X-wings or block people.
I LOVE the SheaMoisture African Black Soap Clarifying Mud Mask. I’ve been to the Blue Lagoon in Iceland twice and this mask is the closest I have found to their incredible mud mask. I have very sensitive skin and this mask doesn’t make my face turn bright red and stinging like so many others.
After we’d watched all of Great British Baking Show, our family started watching all kinds of other British HGTV-style shows. We all loved The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes, My Dream Farm, and The Repair Shop. Amazon and Netflix have a pretty deep catalogue of these shows, and we find them interesting and entertaining in a very calm, British way.
When I saw the movie “Clueless” brought up, it reminded me of one of my favorite people (the real one–not the actress!), Alicia Silverstone. I met her, in person, (at Boston Public Library) right after her book “The Kind Diet” (2009) came out. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be healthier, save the environment and not take part in the terrible suffering of farm animals. When I got my book autographed, I was able to speak to Alicia for a few moments. She seemed to be as lovely on the inside as she is on the outside. She also has a website: http://www.livekindly.com Please check it out! I also want to say that I look forward to receiving Modern Mrs. Darcy when I see it in my email box. So intelligent, down to earth and just plain nice!!!
My family and I have been enjoying Lego Masters on Hulu. Also, I use the Garnier charcoal peel off mask. One tube has lasted forever and the peeling is so satisfying. ☺️ Have a great weekend, Bogels!
Forgive me, I sent an email on Alicia Silverstone’s website and gave the wrong address
(they are so similar). For those who are interested her site is: thekindlife.com
Let me also say that her book contains many tasty recipes that I have tried.
Thank you for the post regarding the Google Form Escape Rooms. My family and I do many “at home Escape Rooms” and these are great options for my kids during this time. There is a company called Kosmos that sells at home EXIT the room games (so many to choose from and a variety of levels). We have done at least 6 of those and there are still so many more to do. A great family project!
“The Way Way Back,” is one of my favorite summer movies, highly recommend:)
Thank you, I just ordered some Liberty fabric face masks! I love them!
Currently on a staycation myself and this is what I’ve been binge watching (very Type 8 of me – I made a bucket list of things to do on staycation and added bingewatch something on Netflix because I usually do not): Indian Matchmaking (only one season and I’m still talking about the people to people in my life who don’t care); Friday Night Dinner (hilarious and our kids occasionally watch with me but not all episodes are appropriate); Kim’s Convenience Store (also hilarious and also one kids occasionally watch with me but not always appropriate); Great British Baking Show (ironically my son and I are the ones most into it). Enjoy!
Heartland by CBC. I’m a little late to the game since it’s now in its 13th season but we started it last winter and pretty much binged our way through all 12 seasons that were currently out. The show does deal with some hard topics but the language was clean and it wasn’t a problem if our 5 year old walked in during an episode. We’ve also been reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and there’s a Nickelodeon movie–I’m enjoying the book with our son and he’s seen the movie. I’m waiting until I finish the book!
Movies we’ve loved sharing with kids but good for the whole family are Searching for Bobby Fischer; October Sky; Remember the Titans and also Cool Runnings. Everyone of these movies we’ve watched again and again and they hold up. My husband lives Field of Dreams and League of their own. All these are so good. Enjoy!
Another feel good movie to add to that is Breaking Away, one of my all time feel good favorites.
One of my favorites also.
Breaking Away is also one of my favorite feel good flicks. I also enjoy Searching for Bobby Fisher.
We loved the movie ‘Eddie the Eagle’ which is inspired by a true story of a very unlikely British ski-jumper who believes in himself even when everyone else in the sport has counted him out. It’s inspirational, but funny too. PG-13 and family friendly. Highly recommend it!
Movies to watch with tweens: Man in the Moon, My Girl, Paradise
The original “All Creatures Great & Small” series! My PBS station has been playing two episodes a week starting before the pandemic (seems like forever ago!), so am only on season 5 after all this time. It’s so darling and funny and calming to watch each week. A remake is coming out on Masterpiece next year, but I’m not sure it’ll top the charming original.
The three movies beginning with Night at the Museum were favorites in my family when my girls were at home. They would lend themselves beautifully to outdoor viewing with spooky night sounds!
Hallmark movie, Love is Never Silent
What about Bob is our must watch every summer favorite.
I’ve been watching Hyram on YouTube for great skincare advice – he’s delightful, to the point, and oh so funny.
Our family loves, loves, loves Avatar: The Last Airbender (the series, not the movie). It’s recently seen a resurgence since it started airing on Netflix in May. Great characters, a fantastic redemption arc, and many issues focusing on friendship, loyalty, honor, and being true to who you are. Seriously, I love it (I’m 50), my older daughters love it (ages 29 and 25), and my son loves it (age 14). At 3 seasons of about 20 episodes each (25 minutes each episode), we’ve binge-watched it at least 3 times over the years.
My boys (11yo twins) have also started watching Avatar: The Last Airbender! Their 19yo sister got them started watching it recently. My daughter and I love to watch The Gilmore Girls together. It’s on Netflix. But she just left to go back to Alabama for school. I’m going to miss her terribly!!! It’s been nice having her home again since Spring Break, but I know she needs her own life and is moving into her first rental house with some of her sorority sisters! I sent her with some of the new kind of face masks that my mom had made for us. Hope she can stay healthy down there! Have a great weekend!!!
Troop Zero, free on Amazon Prime, is a cute family movie. 🙂
One of my covid rituals has been to add a Que Bella Professional Detoxifying Black Peel Off Face Mask to my Target pick-up order and taking an extra long bubble bath while it dries. The peeling is so satisfying and it’s such a great treat.
YES! This is exactly what my daughters say, that the peeling is so satisfying. Thank you!
Our family loves the Jeeves & Wooster series. We have it on DVD but I think it’s also on Amazon. We rewatch them whenever we need to laugh!
Anne, if your daughter is really into skincare, has she found Skincare by Hyram on YouTube? He is wonderful, and really focuses on how to make sure your skincare is science-based, minimal/nonconsumerist, and good for the environment. He uses some bad language, but if you are willing to overlook that and/or watch with your daughter, I highly recommend him. He is such a dear.
Thanks for the recommendation!
Anne, as another lover of urban planning literature, I saw this and thought you’d like it too:
https://www.thelily.com/whats-a-more-feminist-city-look-like-ask-this-geographer/?utm_campaign=wp_lily_lines&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_lily
Thanks for sharing this!