What’s in store for your weekend? We’ve still got snow on the ground here in Louisville, so sledding may be in my near future. I’m spending the weekend with a big editing project, plus finishing my post for next week about what’s saving my life right now.
Last call for Don’t Overthink It!
My newest book is on serious sale for ebook through the end of the month—which means this is the last weekend to get it for this price. It’s on sale for $1.99 across all ebook platforms, except on Amazon, where it’s $1.59.
This is a fabulous book for right now—in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, and at the dawn of a new year. Get yours now, or give a copy to a friend.
Happy reading!
My favorite finds from around the web:
- Nicola Yoon to release third book, Instructions For Dancing, in June. And I can’t wait to read it!
- Did you know it’s National Puzzle Month? I’m wrapping up the month with this adorable and relatively easy puzzle.
- Seattle’s newest bookstore, Oh Hello Again, has a novel system: categorizing books by emotions. Interesting idea and a great bookstore name.
- What It’s Like to Carry On a Tradition With a Friend Who Can’t Remember It. This story is equal parts delightful and moving.
- The joys of being an absolute beginner – for life. “Whenever something is touted as being good for children, it’s even better for adults, in part because we assume we no longer need all those benefits an activity is said to provide.” (The author’s book on this subject, called Beginners, is on my nightstand. I loved his previous book Traffic.)
- My current go-to mask is decidedly bookish.
- Spotify Tests Audiobooks With ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘Jane Eyre’ and Other Literary Classics (Exclusive). Interesting development.
- My new favorite thing: this wash and stain bar. Laundry just might be saving my life right now.
- Learning Architecture and Urban Planning from a Video Game: Animal Crossing X A Pattern Language. This is super, super nerdy (and as the parent of several Animal Crossing fans it delighted me—and them—to see our interests overlap here).
- How to Free Yourself from Recipes with a Few Golden Cooking Ratios. Ratios are more powerful than recipes.
- Literary Paper Dolls: Rebecca. Love this.
- Inaugural Poet Amanda Gorman on Her Career-Defining Address and Paying Homage to Maya Angelou. “I have to interweave my poetry with purpose. For me, that purpose is to help people, and to shed a light on issues that have far too long been in the darkness.”
- MWA Announces 2021 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominations. Congrats to the nominees!
Don’t miss these posts:
- 30 books featuring happy couples who met past age 30. Because the world needs love stories with happy endings featuring characters who aren’t teens and twenty-somethings.
- Survival strategies for winter, my least favorite season. These tips have helped me cope with the dreary winter months for years.
- 65 recommended reads for those traveling to England (or who want to!) I’m grateful for armchair literary tourism.
Have a great weekend!
24 comments
I’m currently reading “Beginners” and it is fascinating.
I’m so happy to hear that! I look forward to digging in myself.
It’s very telling that either most or all inaugural poets (I can’t remember from an article I read this past week) were asked to attend Democrat inaugurals. Just another glaring difference to me, and one I hope will change.
My go to secret weapon when it comes to laundry stains – even missed & dried stains – is a shot of Shout and a good rub with Ivory bar soap. Works every time. Love your posts
Thank you!
Very enjoyable post that sent me down many rabbit holes on the internet this morning. An hour or so later, I have been inspired by poetry, added a few things to my winter coping list, signed up for a couple of newsletters, and am thinking about subscribing to a new magazine! Loved the high five story (and others that the site led me to). Thanks, just perfect for this cold Friday morning! Now on to what I was actually intending to do when I got on the computer!
Rebecca is one of my most favorite novels. It’s one of those books I feel I could read over and over and pick up new details and meanings each time. I loved your link to the article about the book– and the paper dolls were cute, too!
Love these posts and just added the laundry bar to my Amazon cart. Also love the ebook deals every day, but keep thinking I need to stop getting it. My Kindle has so many TBR books that I will never catch up! Just added two books from today’s post!
I noticed those classics on Spotify and thought that was an amazing development! I haven’t tried them yet – anybody tried them yet? Thoughts? I’m curious to try but I have so many books already on my TBR pile I haven’t yet. LOL
Where did you find the books on Spotify? Are there certain search terms I should use?
Cynthia Erivo’s “Persuasion” was delightful!
Just to add to the books on the England post. A couple of non fiction picks. Discovering Tudor England by historian Natalie Grueninger, In The Footsteps of the Six Wives of Henry VIII, and In The Footsteps Of Anne Boleyn, by both Natalie Grueninger and Sarah Morris. Natalie also has a great podcast, On The Tudor Trail, for anyone interested in this period of time. Great books all. Michelle t
I love the Paris Review paper dolls articles (and the paper dolls)! Thank you so much for sharing this. The NY Times Style Magazine just had a book discussion on Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country and included this article as part of the series: Undine Spragg’s Life in Objects. It is very similar in tone and focus to the paper dolls articles. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/t-magazine/wharton-custom-country-undine-spragg.html
I’d like to share with you my perhaps unusual reading habits, if you are interested. I’m 81 and a lifetime reader. –Doug Simpson
Susan Wittig Albert’s cottage tales of Beatrix Potter.
Aunt Dimity books by Nancy Atherton
and of course “A Fine Romance” and “84 Charing Cross”
I finally bought Don’t Overthink It today for my Nook. I’m an over thinker, and at times it is frustrating to my husband when I cannot seem to make a decision without having anxiety. I hope that reading your book helps me with it. I’m thankful that I am not alone in this.
Your favorite bookish mask actually looks like it is a snapshot of a bookshop puzzle by White Mountain. You might actually have two lives there: puzzles and books!
Thank you for the Atlantic article about the high-fives. Made me cry.
I just watched the new version of “Rebecca” on Netflix yesterday so I very much enjoyed The Paris Review story. You do always put together a well-curated list of tidbits, Anne. Thank you.
I stumbled on the classics on Spotify and pretty much devoured Cynthia Erivo reading “Persuasion.” It was lovely.
You outdid yourself this time, Anne! The bibliotherapy bookstore! (As a retired librarian I’ve been practicing bibliotherapy for decades!) The delightful and moving story of the high fives.
The fascinating Pattern Language article. If only there were more hours in the day I’d delve into this. The cooking by ratios article was so interesting. When I saw the author’s claim that anyone could bake bread by following the ratios, I sent it to my husband who has always claimed he couldn’t bake (because measuring was required), So disappointed that he didn’t take the bait! Rebecca paper dolls, Amanda Gorman (how could you go wrong?), and Edgar nominees! You kept me busy for hours. Thank you for providing this delightful diversion for us every week.
Aw, thanks for the shoutout & link to my bookish masks, Anne! I’m glad you’re enjoying yours. 🙂
But Traffic was the book I was going to recommend to you if we ever met in an airport! I knew you would like it! Now I’ll have to think of something else…..
I’m going to search out Beginners. I’ve often thought as I sit there during gymnastics class for my son, I wish there was a class in gymnastics for me at this time. And so together we’ve done mountain biking lessons and ice skating lessons. I love it and he loves it and we get to do it together. Now I think we need to learn chess together!