a lifestyle blog for book lovers

Happy Friday! Although I hardly know what day it is, because we had pizza last night for dinner instead of on our regular pizza night. (Does that sort of thing throw you for a loop, too?)

I hope this collection of intriguing reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.

My favorite finds from around the web:

  • A friend sent me French Girl Rose Lip Polish a while back and I just ordered a replacement. She always finds the best beauty products!
  • Jill Biden, Changing the Fashion Game. “The recycled wardrobe may not seem like a big deal, but it has been practically unheard-of since the turn of the 21st century when it comes to image-making, celebrities and their powerful political or entrepreneurial equivalents.”

Don’t miss these posts:

On One Great Book:

Don’t miss today’s brand-new episode of One Great Book, now back for Volume 5! Each week I pull one standout selection off my personal bookshelves and tell you all about it, in ten minutes or less.

On What Should I Read Next:

Guest Loren credits some of her favorite books with inspiring small life changes, from going outside on days she’s not feeling it to deciding to apply to be a guest on this very podcast. We also dig into Loren’s reading retention difficulties (anyone relate?) and why an “easy” reading experience means something different to every reader.

Upcoming Events:

  • July 31, 3 pm ET: Backlist Book Club: Young Jane Young: Whether you’re a long-time MMD Book Club member looking to revisit some favorites, or a new member wondering where to start, we’re taking a look back at some of the best of Book Club from the past few years.
  • August 10, 1 pm ET: Best Books of Summer meetup: Modern Mrs Darcy team members and fellow Book Club members share what they’ve read and loved, both from the Summer Reading Guide and beyond. Some old, some new, we just want to hear about all the great books. Grab your TBR list. Let us load it up for you with great books to take you through the rest of the summer. (This is an MMD Book Club event.)
  • August 17, 7 pm ET: Live chat with author Devoney Looser: It’s Austen in August in Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club and we’ll be talking with author Devoney Looser. (Events are available as replays for members who cannot attend live.)
  • August 21, 3 pm ET: Northanger Abbey Watch Party: Watch along with us! The 2007 film staring Felicity Jones and Carey Mulligan can be found on streaming services or on many library streaming services like Hoopla and Kanopy. (This is an MMD Book Club event.)
  • August 24, 1 pm ET: Live chat with author Elizabeth Brooks: Time for our MMD Book Club discussion of The Whispering House with author Elizabeth Brooks! (Events are available as replays for members who cannot attend live.)
  • August 28, 3 pm ET: Backlist Book Club: Stay With Me: Whether you’re a long-time MMD Book Club member looking to revisit some favorites, or a new member wondering where to start, we’re taking a look back at some of the best of Book Club from the past few years.

Find more upcoming events here.

Have a great weekend!

16 comments

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  1. Adrienne says:

    A new Emily St. John Mandel??? **Squeals** How exciting!!
    I did think the article about Jill Biden’s “recycled” fashion was hilarious, and honestly a bit ridiculous. The author seemed surprised that Jill Biden would actually wear clothes she has already worn once, and been photographed in for events, again! I had expected the concept of “recycled” clothing to mean something very different than simply wearing things more than once. I certainly don’t live in a world where I can have new (and expensive) items for every occasion, and I don’t know anyone else that does either. Weird…. Happy Friday!

    • Janna says:

      I kind of had the “I’m not wearing used clothing” attitude until Anne introduced me to Thredup. While I hardly ever use Thredup any longer, I have discovered Poshmark and am in LOVE! I scored a beautiful probably never worn Johnny Was tunic last week! I live so remotely there is certainly no need for me to have a new outfit for any occasion I might attend! 🙂 🙂

    • Karena says:

      I agree with you. I think it is careless to label clothing worn more than once as recycled. In everyday American we all wear our clothing more than once. It doesn’t make her honorable or special, but it does degrade the rest of us as wearing “recycled” clothing all the time. I find the spin disturbing.

  2. Janna says:

    I like the “time millionaire” article. And why don’t doctor’s offices leave a bit of slack time in their schedule every day for those people who really need to see a doctor instead of sending us to the overcrowded ERs??

  3. Sarah says:

    One goal I continue to work on is buying less food and preparing what I already have in stock. Admittedly, the temptation of ordering out is great at the end of a long day, but I make myself think of the waste – in terms of food and monetary resources (the cost of the food thrown away and the food that was ordered). That helps make the decision to use what I have on hand. I am definitely better at not wasting food, but it is still a developing habit.

    • Janice McBratney says:

      During the pandemic I went to the supermarket less, but when I did I bought LOTS of fresh vegetables. To keep them from going bad I would trim them to fit into glass lock-top containers: cauliflower and broccoli into pieces ready to cook, green beans, asparagus, book choy, bean sprouts, peppers. I didn’t wash them until I was ready to use them. It was amazing how fresh they stayed and were in sizes ready to cook. I rolled lettuce in damp paper towels and placed that into a sealed plastic bag. I cut carrots and celery into long pieces that fit into their own quart size container, filled it with cold water to cover the veggies. They stayed fresh and crispy. I changed the water every couple of days. Yes, it was a bit of work and time initially, but when I was ready to cook a meal everything was prepped. I didn’t have to throw anything away.

  4. Anne Depoilly says:

    Hi,
    what is the date for Best books of summer meet up? In MMD bookclub events it’s written August 10 and just above I read August 6, 3 pm ET: Best Books of Summer meetup….I’m looking forward to this event!
    thank you

  5. Mary Lou Wachsmith says:

    Is there a book associated with the Devoney Looser author chat on 8/17? Also, looking forward to reading Landslide – sounds interesting.

  6. Elizabeth says:

    Great for Dr Biden to set an example of a high profile woman to wear an outfit more than once. The more it is done, the less of a “thing” it is. The expectation that these women have to wear a new outfit every time they are in public is outdated. The rest of us wear things many times, and they should be allowed to do that as well , without social media criticizing.

  7. Shaney Swift says:

    I’m super excited for a new St. John Mandel book, but one of my favorite books of all time is “The Sea of Tranquility” by Katja Millay, and I can already imagine all the confusion: “No not Sea of Tranquility, THE Sea of Tranquility. Different book.”

  8. Leanne says:

    A question about last weekend’s reading weekend – are you going to do a follow-up article about books you read Anne or what other readers did? I think that would make an interesting post.

  9. Marianne Wire says:

    Here in New Mexico, I love Green chili ranch. I buy it at Dion’s pizza. Always have at home to make coleslaw!!!

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