a lifestyle blog for book lovers

What are you up to this long weekend? Now that the oppressive heat has lifted and the humidity is backing off, we’re hoping to get outside and enjoy it. And if I could also finish three books by Tuesday morning, that would make me very, very happy.

A friend had to remind me that tomorrow marks the three year anniversary since the release of my book I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life. Time flies!

My favorite finds from around the web:

  • What a beautiful mug (and a good word for 2021). This favorite Etsy shop has a great sale going this weekend!
  • A Safe Place to Fill Up. “In the South, you can have a full-on Sunday meal while you fill up your tank…What seems so conventional to us now, to be able to stop at almost any gas station and have a good, inexpensive meal, is rooted in Black survival and entrepreneurship.”

Don’t overthink this sale!

Great news! Don’t Overthink It is on sale for $1.99 on all digital platforms through September 15. If you’re stuck in a cycle of what-ifs, plagued by indecision, or paralyzed by the fear of getting it wrong, this just might be the book you and your reading life need.

Kindle | Nook | Apple Books | Google Play | Kobo

Don’t miss these posts:

  • Fall Book Preview. This year’s Fall Book Preview is only available for our member communities but we did share this abridged list from the 2019 preview. (Learn more about the 2021 preview here.)

Upcoming Events:

  • September 9: What kind of classics reader are you?: Our Book Clubbers often lament that they’re intimidated by old novels—the ones they’ve been meaning to read for ages, but have been hesitant to start. We’re here to help! In this fun and accessible class we’ll give you practical tips for diving in, based on your unique reading style. (This is a Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club event. Events are available as replays for members who cannot attend live.)
  • September 18: King Lear Watch Party: Watch along with us! Buy, borrow, or rent the 2018 film King Lear and we’ll meet on Zoom, chat for a few minutes, then we’ll each press play on our own screens and watch together, using Zoom’s chat feature to talk about the film in real time. (This is a Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club event.)
  • September 21, 7 pm ET: My Reading Life: A Book Journal release day party at Carmichael’s Bookstore: Come celebrate the release of My Reading Life at my local indie bookstore! I’ll be in conversation with Tara Anderson of Louisville Public Media. Masks are required. Learn more and register to attend here
  • September 24, 11:30 am ET: Eat & Greet event with Kendra Adachi: Join me at Bookmarks’s Festival of Books & Authors in Winston-Salem, NC! I’ll be in conversation with my friend and author Kendra Adachi. We’ll talk about books, journaling, and the reading life to celebrate the publication of my new book, My Reading Life: A Book Journal. Register here
  • September 25, time TBD: Panel at Bookmarks with Wiley Cash and Charlie Lovett. More info to come.
  • October 21, 1 pm and 7 pm ET: Fall Book Preview: Join us for our third annual Fall Book Preview, where I’ll share a curated list of the season’s hottest new titles, plus the info you need to decide which belong on your TBR. This is an exclusive event for Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club members and What Should I Read Next Patreon “Book Lover” supporters. Our communities will also receive a printable with every title included in our preview.

You can find more upcoming events here.

Have a great weekend!

4 comments

Leave A Comment
  1. Lynn Kunz says:

    The list of YA books is good, but the vast majority of them have a female protagonist. Where are books that will appeal to the boys? I’m always looking for books for my teen grandsons who are consumed with sports. I want to encourage the love of reading, but I have a difficult time finding books I think they would like. Any suggestions for them?

  2. Guest from the south says:

    The RS article on SAD was interesting. I first experienced significant seasonal affective disorder while long-term staffed on a project outside of Detroit. We had a snowstorm in October and it didn’t fully melt until the following May. For a southerner, the initial snow was beautiful and exciting but the seven months of looking at black snow (covered in exhaust, etc.) were beyond depressing. Also, the office I worked in was an interior one with no windows so I was in the office before sunrise and didn’t leave until after sunset. It was a HARD year.

    That said, I have grown to very nearly loathe summer. My ability to tolerate heat and humidity seems to get worse each year and I would happily spend my summers in Alaska or somewhere else nice and cool. I also break out in hives if I’m in the sun too long and it’s worse, for whatever reason, with high humidity. So summers are miserable and I’m mostly confined to the indoors as those up north I guess feel during the winter.

    Fall is a rebirthing for me because I’m able to spend long periods of time outside again without sweating or hives. Winter is even tolerable because our “bad” weather typically (there are exceptions) only lasts a few days so I know it will be sunny again soon. Spring is a mix because it’s tornado and thunderstorm season and I begin to dread the heat.

    Way too much information but thank you again for sharing the article. I feel better knowing others experience SAD in seasons outside of winter.

  3. Janet says:

    Lynn, here are 3 titles for your teenage sons ((2 non-fiction and one novel, all baseball based, we are a baseball family):

    56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports by Kostya Kennedy

    K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches by Tyler Kenner

    The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

    Educational and entertaining!

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