a lifestyle blog for book lovers

My favorite finds from around the web:

What to expect in 2016: Ann Patchett on the return of bookstores. “I sense a cultural shift coming on: Books and bookstores and reading are the wave of the future.”

How the Mast Brothers fooled the world into paying $10 a bar for crappy hipster chocolate. “As artisanal food surges in popularity, whether it’s chocolate, liquor or jam, the Mast Brothers’ story highlights how a company can have great success selling a product of dubious quality as something “artisanal” or “handcrafted” with beautiful packaging and handsome, bearded founders.”

5 things I’m going to stop doing in 2016. “Sometimes we start dreaming so big and setting so many goals for ourselves that we can lose sight of some of the smaller things that we shouldn’t be doing and that, in turn, are making us unhappy.”

12 TED talks to inspire New Year’s resolutions. “New Year’s resolutions are easy to make … and hard to keep. Our advice: Make resolutions that reflect your core values, to be kinder, more confident, more open to change.”

TBR shelf

Don’t miss it: 

Today is the last day to enter to win a set of all twelve of MY picks for the 2016 Reading Challenge. Click here to check out my titles and enter to win them for yourself. Giveaway ends at 9:00 p.m. EST tonight.

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Today is also the last day to get your Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning kit from ePantry, FREE with a $20 purchase. Click here to learn more about the cleaning kit, or click here to go straight to ePantry.

(My favorite ePantry cleaning products are listed in the post, but if you want to try their fun stuff instead, I recommend two household favorites: their new whole bean coffee and the Grove Collective’s orange thyme and cardamom candles.)

On the blog: 

One year ago: Survival strategies for winter, my least favorite season.

Two years ago: Forget about results: my new approach to goal setting.

Three years ago: 7 lessons I learned the hard way in 2012 (that I’ll carry into 2013). I was surprised to see these are as relevant as ever (especially the one about firing your stylist).

Four years ago: 3 tiny habits to meet my New Year’s resolutions.

Have a great weekend!

16 comments

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  1. michelle says:

    Hi there! I just found your beautiful blog through a fellow bibliophile. Wow, I think I’ll get lost in here with a smile on my face:-) Great list above, you had me at Ann Patchett– visiting Parnassus is on my bucket list for this year! I’m definitely going to make time for those TED talks too, (my favorite all-time talk is Elizabeth Gilbert’s on creative genius). Anyway, Anne with an e (just like my childhood kindred spirit, Ms Shirley 🙂 it’s lovely to meet you & thanks for putting this beautiful work out here!
    Peace,
    ~Michelle

  2. Independent bookstores are back. Yippee! I will definitely have to put visiting Parnassus onto my list of things to do this year! We often travel through Tennessee on our way to family in Texas and Oklahoma each summer.

  3. Sarah Jane says:

    I’ve always found the Mast Bros. chocolate intriguing as I went to college with them- though didn’t know them. Crazy story. I think I’ll save my $10 for a book!

  4. Dana says:

    Hooray for Indie Bookstores! I want to go to Parnassus sometime. It’s on my bucket list. We used to have a bunch of Indies and used bookstores in our city. We are down to one Indie and 2 used bookstores. I read an article on the internet ( somewhere?) this week that used bookstores are popping up everywhere. The reason is that the profit margin is higher than regular stores.

    I love TED talks and have watched some of the ones mentioned. Will take a look later at some of those. The Amy Cuddy one is a favorite of mine, along with Elizabeth Gilbert’s.

    I love the idea of non-resolutions….I could make a great list!

  5. Jenn says:

    Thank you so much for including my post, Anne! Really appreciate it. 🙂 Also loved the TED talks for making New Year’s Resolutions. So inspiring!

  6. Christine says:

    Loved the bookstore article! We have a small town used bookstore (which I’m sure is a very different business) that we love! They have amazing selection and prices. And the owner can always help you find what you’re looking for.

  7. Valerie says:

    Anne, I’m not a blog follower but I love, love, LOVE your blog and I’ve been reading it (through my email) almost everyday. Thank you so very much for your Kindle deals posts. I have discovered some really neat books that I probably wouldn’t have found on my own. I love what you’re doing here. Don’t stop!

  8. Kelly says:

    I love your links lists! I also wanted to say that your post 2 years ago about goal-setting was a game changer for me! Goals, like life, are realized through the process — not the achievement. Going from a check-list to a practice list = A-MAZ-IG!

    Thank you!

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