a lifestyle blog for book lovers

What are you up to this weekend? Will and I are celebrating our anniversary, and looking forward to a break from the heat on Saturday and Sunday before the temperatures climb back up past 100 degrees next week. I hope you have something you’re looking forward to these next few days.

Need-to-know book info

There are some spectacular sales happening right now! My Reading Life: A Book Journal is already discounted AND is now part of Amazon’s new 3-for-2 promotion. Click here to get yours, and click “shop items” on that page (right under the price) to see what else is included in the sale.

UPDATE: Don’t Overthink It is now included in the book sale, too! This is the lowest price any of my books have ever been.

ALL MY BOOKS—including the not-yet-published My Reading Adventures: A Book Journal for Kids—are included in Target’s Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale on movies, music, books, and games. My family orders from Target pretty regularly—they have great service and fast shipping. Shop my books here—and take advantage of the sale to stock up for future journaling and gift-giving! I would also be honored if you were to take advantage of the sale by combining my books with a great jigsaw puzzle.

If you pick up My Reading Adventures, don’t forget to take advantage of the terrific preorder bonuses! After you order, visit this page to pop your order info into the form.

My favorite finds from around the web:

  • Speaking of journals: my 14yo avid journaler has been checking the internet every single day to see if her favorite journals have been restocked yet … and they finally have! Check out the options here. These were first recommended to us by a teacher friend who raved about their classy look and thick paper.

Don’t miss these posts:

  • 20 tasty and tantalizing food memoirs. One of my favorite literary genres! Food is full of stories, from the family history behind a handed-down dish to juicy kitchen drama at a high-end restaurant.

Upcoming Events:

  • June 22: Bookworm Problems: In this Quick-Fix Conversation session, we talk with three readers that represent common problems in the reading life and troubleshoot what plagues them (and might be plaguing you too!). This is a Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club event.

You can find more upcoming events here.

Have a great weekend!

13 comments

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  1. Patty says:

    All I needed was one look at Dakota Johnson’s smirk on the YouTube link to know the mood is not going to be true to the book, which is a shame.

  2. Heather says:

    Anne, I just watched the trailer for Persuasion (thanks for the link), also listened to you on Instagram, and it looks pretty good to me. I have read the book multiple times, and have to agree with Jamie that expectations make all the difference. I think I am going to like this movie.
    Also, you look great in that dress.

  3. Hertzberg Joy says:

    Before I even open the link for the libraries, I thought to myself how much I used to enjoy the Indianapolis Public Library. It is a beautiful library to just enjoy an hour. I often would go there during my lunch hour and sometimes just walk around. Thank you so much for sharing.

  4. Austin says:

    I think the Netflix Persuasion trailer looks like it’s going to be a fun movie, if I think of it as “Jane Austen fanfic.” If I try to connect it with the book Persuasion, I think I’ll be disappointed. This movie looks like “what if a slightly older Lizzy Bennet was dropped into the plot of Persuasion?”

    As Anne mentioned in her Insta story, the TONE! It’s all wrong for the book. Book Anne Elliot is filled with regret and melancholy resignation for her fate.

    I know that after Autumn de Wilde’s Emma movie makers probably think of Austen as light and sparkly, so this is more along those lines.

    I’m sad the other Persuasion movie was canceled as I’d be curious to know if that was going to be a darker adaptation, and I think there’s room for both!

  5. Laura says:

    So glad you posted about the sale! I was able to get CodeNames, the new Harry Styles CD, and a book! Thanks thanks!!

  6. Rita says:

    Hi, how did you fry the chickpeas in the air fryer? Oil, no oil? Thanks! Also, I love libraries and Jane Austen knew her people!

  7. Patti says:

    Here’s my take on the Persuasion film. The novel will always be there, waiting for us to return to it again and again (as I do.) We can enjoy the original whenever we choose. But what fun it is to see a modern adaptation- I personally love seeing casting choices that perhaps might not have been there before. It feels inclusive and fun for all. Perhaps someone who might not feel comfortable with the original language will see the adaptation, feel included, and will reach out to the novel to try again. I really look forward to it.

  8. Suzy says:

    Persuasion is not my favorite, so I’m not a purist about it. I think it could be fun, although I was startled at first! That smirk, that talking directly to the camera! So NOT Anne Elliot! But on the other hand, the real Persuasion was rather gloomy and sad, and so I think this might be a lark, or as one commenter said, let’s look at it as Jane Austen fanfiction. I’m excited.
    The article about genre was interesting; I always wondered why, for instance, science fiction couldn’t also be literary fiction. But it usually isn’t. Why couldn’t Elizabeth Strout write a new novel set on Mars in the future? Probably because she’s not interested in Mars or space, she’s interested in humans here on earth. Actually what I’d really like to read is literary fiction romance! I’d like to read romance that is realistic and well written but also heartwarming with a HEA! But romance usually falls more in the FANTASY category, and literary fiction is set in reality….But then, there’s Jane Austen! She did them both!

  9. Guest says:

    Speaking of food, I bought a jar of preserved lemons last year after you commented how much you love them. I’ve not found anything to do with them until tonight when I cracked them open to add some lemon skin to broccolini. This is one recommendation I won’t be saving – they smell like Pine Sol! Hard pass from us – ha. I googled preserved lemon and Pine Sol because I thought perhaps they’d gone bad. Turns out there are several Reddit threads on this topic because others have wondered the same. 😂

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