Links I love

I’ve been back to work this week after spending some time at the beach with my family—and now I’m wondering where the week went. This weekend we’re visiting with family and trying to recover from the first few days of school. (WOW are we out of practice!)

I hope you have something to look forward to this weekend, and that this collection of good reads and fun things puts you in that weekend frame of mind …

My favorite finds from around the web:

• In Praise of Judging Books by Their Covers. It’s always interesting to hear about cover design decisions and how that’s evolved over the years.

• Dolly Parton Designed Her New Fragrance, Scent From Above, to “Smell Like Heaven”. There’s nothing Dolly can’t do.

• First look: Emily Henry’s next novel goes meta — really meta. Looking forward to it!

• How the Pandemic Now Ends. “The pandemic will be over one day—but the way there is different now.”

• Will and I listened to this Song Exploder episode about the Semisonic song ‘Closing Time’ in the car together on a recent road trip. It was not at all what I expected. (I loved it.)

• Speaking of Emily Henry: A cut scene from the first ‘When Harry Met Sally’ script shows why the movie became a timeless love story.

• My daughter has gotten way into journaling these past two years and these journals are her FAVORITE.

• Speaking of daughters: the women in my household have found a lot of satisfaction in our Allure Beauty Box subscription this year. Their current promotion is *chef’s kiss.*

• How Lodge Has Been Making Cast Iron Pans for 125 Years. Very cool to see how it’s done!

• What Does It Mean to Hold Space for Someone? I’m grateful for the people in my life who are good at doing this.

• 16 Enthralling Family Sagas with a Strong Sense of Place. My kind of book list.

• The Tyranny and Misogyny of Meal Planning. This newsletter covers a lot of ground and offers some interesting suggestions along the way. (Found via Anne Helen Petersen’s great newsletter Culture Study.)

• The Best Independent Bookstores Across the U.S. These lists are incredibly subjective but I still enjoy counting how many I’ve been to. (Two!)

Announcing the My Reading Life Journal Box

I’m thrilled to announce the My Reading Life Journal Box! The Snail on the Wall has put together a box of bookish goodies, along with a copy of my forthcoming book My Reading Life: A Book Journal.

Each specially packaged box includes the items shown in the photo above, plus a few bonuses:

• My Reading Life: A Book Journal 
• “From the library of . . . ” ink stamp personalized with your name, along with ink pad
• signed bookplate
• bookmark designed to go with the journal

This is a great gift for yourself or for the book lovers in your life. Click here for more details and to place your order.

Don’t miss these posts:

• 30 Jane Austen-inspired books for Janeites of all ages. These 30 titles celebrate the vibrant wit and dependable comfort of Jane Austen.

• Becoming who you want to be and finding where you belong. “I have a big life goal: I want to be a regular, somewhere.”

• 7 Ways To Discover Your Audiobook Style. Your reading taste on paper does not directly translate to audiobooks. Taking the time to find your perfect audiobook experience is well worth the effort.

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:

Katie Guenthner has long been reading classics, historical nonfiction, and the most formidable books she can find at the library in order to uphold her status as an “advanced reader.” After listening to countless readers wax poetic about reading for escape on WSIRN, Katie realized what’s missing in her reading life—and now she’s ready to trade Charles Dickens for the lighthearted stories she’s been eschewing for too long. 

Upcoming Events:

• 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.

• September 21: My Reading Life: A Book Journal release day: My book My Reading Life: A Book Journal is finally here! I can’t wait to get it in your hands. (Learn more about the preorder bonuses.)

You can find more upcoming events here.

Have a great weekend!