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:
- Rosie O’Donnell Answers Every Question We Have About Sleepless in Seattle. Such a fun interview!
- The World Is Still Short of Everything. Get Used to It. The ripple effect is real. For the publishing industry, this means preorders (like my next book My Reading Life) are more important than ever. And in general, plan on doing your holiday shopping even earlier than you’re thinking.
- Hot deal alert: get 6 bottles of wine for just $29.95 + free shipping from Firstleaf Wine Club. Use the code LABORDAYCLUB10. I’m excited this is now available in my state; I’m stocking up for book club!
- MacArthur Genius Grant Winner Jacqueline Woodson Is Publishing Two New Children’s Books. Great news!
- What a beautiful mug (and a good word for 2021). This favorite Etsy shop has a great sale going this weekend!
- Introducing A New Collection Starring Jane Marple. Authors include Alyssa Cole, Ruth Ware, and Leigh Bardugo.
- The Final Frontier of the Text Inbox. “I sold the sanctity of my text inbox for the grand price of $2.90, and now the company texts me about as often as a good friend that lives in another city, and with approximately the same voice, too.” Great piece from WSIRN episode 284 guest Anne Helen Peterson.
- This customizable album-inspired print would make an excellent gift for several people in my life.
- Are your houseplants actually good for the planet? The answer? It’s complicated.
- 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.”
- I do love a pretty green wreath for the front door.
- Seasonal Affective Disorder Doesn’t Just Happen in the Winter—Here’s How to Cope When Summer Sadness Hits. Helpful tips.
- 10 Great Cookbooks To Give To Young Adults Who Are Leaving The Nest. This is a solid list.
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.)
- 15 of the most recommended books from 200 episodes of What Should I Read Next? We’re very close to 300 episodes. Does that mean I need to update this post?
- 25 boarding school novels that are better than your class reunion. This title may or may not tell you how I feel about class reunions.
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: 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.)
- 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.
- September 30: Live chat with author M. L. Rio: Time for our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club discussion of If We Were Villains with author M. L. Rio! (Events are available as replays for members who cannot attend live.)
- 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
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?
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.
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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