a lifestyle blog for book lovers

Happy Friday, friends. Thank you for your lovely response to last week’s hard news. My family and I appreciate it.

I hope this collection of interesting reads and enticing finds helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.

My favorite finds from around the web:

  • This Spooky Season, Give Horror a Chance. “Horror can offer comfort, can offer solace. Not because it’s an accurate representation or dramatization of our turmoil — who’s that intentional with their media consumption? — but because horror comes packaged for us in 400-page novels, in two-hour movies, in stories that end. Whether those books or films end happily or not, they end. For all of us who sense no end to our own daily horror stories, that’s what’s important.”
  • The Fiction of the Color Line. “Since the late-19th century, writers have used passing as a narrative tool to do everything from encouraging white readers to sympathize with the struggles of Black characters to scrutinizing the hypocrisy of America’s racial hierarchy.”
  • How Amazon Changed Fiction As We Know It. This interview covers so much ground, from the way Amazon views all fiction as genre fiction to the rise of author-entrepreneurs to how it came to dominate the publishing landscape.
  • Aunt Jemima, Mammy, and Me. “Cooking, if it is anything, is a road map. It allows others to experience where you and your people have been. And if you are particularly good at it, you can push the boundaries to imagine where you have the potential to go.”

Don’t miss these posts:

Upcoming Events:

  • October 26: Live chat with Bezi Yohannes: Time for our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club discussion of Parable of the Sower with Bezi Yohannes! Bezi is an expert on Black fantasy and Afrofuturism, and she’ll be sharing more about these distinct genres with us to enhance our understanding of this month’s selection. (Events are available as replays for members who cannot attend live.)
  • November 4: How to Write a Book Review: Why is it so hard to talk about books we love (or don’t)? This session is packed with practical tips and an easy formula for creating book reviews, whether you want to sum up your reading experience for your bestie, record your thoughts in your private book journal, or share publicly on Instagram, Goodreads, or other public review sites. (This is a Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club event. Events are available as replays for members who cannot attend live.)
  • November 30: Live chat with author Amy Jo Burns: Time for our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club discussion of Shiner with author Amy Jo Burns! (Events are available as replays for members who cannot attend live.)

Find more upcoming events here.

Have a great weekend!

15 comments

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  1. Nichole says:

    As an enneagram 5 this post is always one of my weekly favorites! I love the smattering of random facts and back stories you come across!

  2. Adrienne says:

    I misread “library cart” as “library cat” and was super excited for a perfect library cat. Then very confused when I clicked the link!

  3. Kara says:

    “an emphasis on neutralizing the tyranny of KRISTIN AMANDA THOMAS”

    As an avid Baby-Sitter’s Club reader in childhood, I’m dying over this!

    Thank you for sharing!

  4. Rita says:

    I just bought a cart exactly like that for my quilting studio. I love it! I got it in teal a Michaels. I also bought a piece that fits over the top so you can have a flat surface.

  5. Adrienne says:

    The picture for this post looks like the view near Monteagle/Sewanee TN, which is about 40 minutes from where I live. It’s a beautiful view!

    I love the library cart… And the article on the death of cursive writing was so interesting!

    Have a wonderful weekend!

  6. Suzy says:

    I don’t really need a library cart, but I WANT it!!! So cute.
    I loved the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but I had actually forgotten what the answer to everything was. Thanks for the article.
    And, what really has me gobsmacked is the loss of handwriting in the world— I was flabbergasted recently to find out that not only do young people not handwrite anything, but they can’t read it! Whaaaaat???? I’ve fallen into a rabbit hole….But that article pointed out that without handwriting, we would never recognize the handwriting of a friend or loved one—I mean, it’s as distinctive as a voice! My mother and I were looking at old photos last night and for every one, we could look at the writing on the back and know for a certainty who wrote it.

  7. Elizabeth says:

    Aunt Jemima, Mammy, and Me – very interesting article! I love thinking and learning about the history of our food. I enjoyed the High on the Hog Documentary on Netflix, it covers a similar story.

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