Links I love

We made it to another Friday. Today looks like the last of the 80-degree days before the weather gets chilly for real here, so I’m planning to hike with Daisy, read some good books, and engage in some year-end planning.

I’m also looking forward to our MMD Book Club watch party on Saturday: I’ve been wanting to see Never Let Me Go since it first came out—a whole ten years ago!

My favorite finds from around the web:

• 5 paths to continue your Octavia E. Butler discovery after ‘Parable of the Sower.’ I am very much in favor of more people reading Octavia Butler.

• Not sure where to vote this year? Find your polling place here.

• Dolly Parton Reduces Stephen Colbert To Tears With Haunting A Cappella Performance. What a lovely moment.

• Personal Connection: #OwnVoices, Outing, and the Ongoing Quest for Authenticity. “But the way we talk about representation and the call to produce books written by people who share their characters’ identities and lived experiences can be simplistic, and even dangerous. There’s increasing pressure for authors to divulge personal information, even if it endangers them or feels too intimate.”

• My state’s regulations mean I’ve never tried a wine club but I wish I could give this one a try.

• During the pandemic, a lifelong travel writer takes a journey inward to reflect on what he has learned around the globe. What does a travel writer write about when they can’t travel?

• On Becoming Friends With a Non-Disabled Person. Such a helpful perspective.

• Isn’t this a happy sweater? (J.Crew’s Black Friday sale starts today: 50% off full price styles including outerwear with the code FRIDAY.)

• Quarantine Cooking Forced Me to Chill in the Kitchen. “I have been accused of being “very rigid,” but I would suggest that is a mischaracterization. My goal is not to follow recipes, like a sheep. My goal is to realize a vision. My vision, Marcella Hazan’s vision — it doesn’t matter.”

• An invitation to sponsor a tile: keeping a roof over Jane Austen’s village home. I hope they get the funds they need!

• I loved reading your mascara recommendations in the comments on this recent style post, and may need to try your faves! The most-mentioned were Benefit’s They’re Real and Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara, although the mascara name that made me laugh out loud was Maybelline’s The Falsies.

• Use a muffin tin to make a dozen adorable miniature bourbon apple pies.

• Rebecca to Rachel: 10 of the best Daphne du Maurier films. I didn’t realize so many of her books had been made into films.

• The Growing Appeal of Desserts That Are ‘Not Too Sweet’. Balance is key.

Don’t miss these posts:

• Our home library. I always get questions about our home library; this post has the answers.

• 15 riveting books with unreliable narrators or ambiguous endings. It’s the perfect time of year for this kind of book.

• 12 essential books on writing for National Novel Writing Month. Will  you be participating in NaNoWriMo this November?

Have a great weekend!