What are you up to this weekend? Around here we’re taking care of some business, celebrating a birthday, and visiting a nature preserve our friend is building (so cool, right?) I hope you have something to look forward to this weekend, and that this collection of good reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.
My favorite finds from around the web:
- How Jason Reynolds Distinguishes Y.A. Books From Adult Fiction. I love the way he talks about his work. (Gift link.)
- My new favorite spring sweater. (The medium is a great fit for me.)
- The Baby-Sitters Club Wasn’t Enough for Netflix Anymore. Disappointing news, with interesting insight into how these calls get made.
- Madeline Miller: ‘Reading Ayn Rand was like being dipped in slime’. I grinned my way through this whole interview.
- The Final Recipe: Assembling Boston Cream Pie with Ina. I’ll confess: this made me tear up a little. A fabulous and fitting ending to an ambitious and joy-filled project.
- Ukraine’s Vivat Publishing House Fights to Survive. “All of our efforts are being directed to help readers and the citizens of Ukraine to make sense of the events happening to them, to help them avoid becoming a victim of Russia’s hostile propaganda and the fake news, which has flooded our country.”
- 5 ways to style a striped tee for spring. Fresh, fun looks, even though this post isn’t brand-new.
- Celebrate National Craft month! Get your Craftsy Premium Membership for only $1.49 for your first full year (normally $89.99). (You might not guess it from the brand name but Craftsy features quite a few classes for writers as well.)
- We’ve Underestimated Sprinkles. There’s so much I didn’t know!
- The Joy Of Researching Historical Fiction. It’s always interesting to learn about someone’s research process.
- I just impulse bought one of these adorable goldfish plants, my first plant purchase in over a year!
Don’t miss these posts:
- 14 introspective literary fiction books that are excellent on audio. Ever have to remind yourself you’re listening to fiction? These audiobooks are more like page-turning memoirs!
- 11 books that are better in the spring. These books have themes that coincide with earth’s bursting to life after a long, cold winter: books about renewal and rebirth, about second chances and making things new.
Upcoming Events:
- March 30: The Light of the World book discussion: Time for our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club discussion of The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander!
- April 7: Poetry 101 with Tania Runyan: April is National Poetry Month! Learn the why and how of reading poetry from poet and author of How to Read a Poem Tania Runyan. This is a Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club class.
- April 28: Let’s Talk Poetry with Amena Brown: Whether you’re a seasoned lover or poetry, or approaching the form for the first time, we’ll explore poetry together in Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club with special guest Amena Brown—poet, author, and comedic storyteller—sharing inspiration without the intimidation.
You can find more upcoming events here.
Have a great weekend!
11 comments
Interesting article about YA books. I’ve always wondered about the definition. I’ve heard it describe before as more of a coming-of-age storyline.
Loved that he listed Judy Blume as his last great read!
Me too! I really liked his response too
I love the post, and video, of Trent making the Boston Cream Pie with Ina! It was so sweet, Ina was gracious and kind as always, and what a huge accomplishment for Trent! My favorite quote of his in the blog post was “As soon as we finalized the date, I got to work (years of anxiety helped me plan every little detail to help minimize something going wrong).” Totally resonated with that lol!
I loved the Trent and Ina post/video also. My respect for Ina just went up about a hundred percent. Sheer class.
I’m so sad about The Babysitter’s Club. Our whole family, including 6 boys ages 18-7 (and 2 girls ages 5 and 11) enjoyed it. I felt like it was such a great, diverse show with so many different family types. I also really appreciated a tween show that wasn’t about kids who were rebelling, just plain mean or off on their own. Family was really important to them. I 100% agree with the interview – they expect girls to go from Doc McStuffins to Euphoria, so sad. It feels more and more like Netflix is the new YouTube – everyone gets 2 seasons, deserved or not, with content focusing on quantity over quality.
I agree with everything you’ve said here! I was really looking forward to sharing it with my 7-year-old girl in a year or two, when it was more her speed. So many shows for older kids and tweens are awful. Now I sound like *my* mom, hahaha.
But, as the show’s creater said so well, how sad is it that girls start losing confidence around the tween years and never fully regain themselves until age 35 or so?
Thank you for sharing the Madeline Miller interview! I also felt grossed out while reading Ayn Rand and it’s nice to see I’m not the only one. I really enjoyed reading about Miller’s book journey throughout her life.
Jason Reynolds is such a beautiful soul. I just want to listen to him talk about what he loves and values all day long.
Oh my gosh, Ina! She is so lovely! ❤️
The link to your favorite sweater isn’t working for me on my iPhone, even with content blockers turned off. I can’t even tell what site it’s on
Oh no! It’s J.Crew factory.