What are you up to this weekend? We’re visiting with family and enjoying a break from the heat, with highs in the 80s instead of the perpetual 90s. And I hope to finish my current audiobook while catching up on the laundry—a common and enjoyable weekend occurrence.
With the arrival of cooler temps—along with school buses in my neighborhood—my thoughts are turning towards fall. Yesterday we announced two special events coming up in our readerly communities: click here for the lowdown on trivia night and our fast-approaching Fall Book Preview.
I hope this collection of favorite things and interesting reads helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.
My favorite finds from around the web:
- An Ode to Bookstores and Promiscuous Reading. (Gift link.) “We need all the physical bookstores we can get. We need as many opportunities as possible to encounter books in the wild, offline, books we can pick up and be surprised by, books in spaces we can mill about and share with others.”
- Novelist Gillian Flynn to host $3,399 cruise for fans of Gone Girl. File under too weird not to share.
- These pool floaties have served us well all summer. We were just at the beach and so many strangers asked where we found them.
- Serena Williams Says Farewell to Tennis On Her Own Terms—And In Her Own Words. “I’m torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.”
- I’ve been keeping an eye on Publishers Weekly’s coverage of the trial to block the Penguin Random House-Simon & Schuster merger. The one thing everyone agrees on: this would change publishing.
- The Unexpected Appeal Of Costco Fashion. Now I need to know if you’ve ever found some winners in the Costco clothing section.
- TikTok and the fall of the social media giants. Interesting, maybe even hopeful, commentary from Cal Newport.
- The money is in all the wrong places. I found this piece on generational wealth, artistic compensation, and our evolving economy fascinating. It’s written by Kelsey McKinney, author of God Spare the Girls. (I used an incognito window to read.)
- Bookcase vs. Bookshelf: What’s the Difference? The more you know.
- I spent some time hanging out with a makeup artist this week and she raved about this inexpensive drugstore lip gloss. She has them in every color!
- Chouxnuts Give Crullers a Glazed Glow Up. This sounds amazing.
- My Reading Adventures is here and I’d so appreciate it if you’d share your thoughts. Review wherever you made your purchase, on Goodreads, or on your own social media account. If you haven’t yet, grab your copy wherever new books are sold (including your favorite indie!) or get a special signed copy from my local indie Carmichael’s Bookstore.
Don’t miss these posts:
- 12 narrative nonfiction books to satisfy your sense of adventure. Anyone looking for unputdownable nonfiction?
- 7 Ways To Discover Your Audiobook Style. Your reading taste on paper does not directly translate to audiobooks. Taking the time to find your perfect audiobook experience is well worth the effort!
- 30 Jane Austen-inspired books for Janeites of all ages. These titles celebrate the vibrant wit and dependable comfort of Jane Austen.
Have a great weekend!
36 comments
Hello! Could you please provide a link to the sandals or is it a stock photo? Thank you!
Alas, they’re not my shoes!
I’m not sure but they look similar to some I got from Target last season.
I look in the Costco fashion area every time I go! I have found great winter gear for my kids in the past. This spring I got a cute denim skirt for myself. Two of my favorite hoodies came from Costco about 8 years ago.
Costco clothes yes! And Sam’s! I’m not buying my whole wardrobe at either place but they have some great things for everyone in my family. A few years ago I bought a pair of Berks at Costco for $50!
My go-to summer dress came from Costco. It’s a simple t-shirt dress with a cinched, drawstring waist. I liked it so much I bought it in two colors.
I bought that dress from Costco too!
I bought my daughter a Speedo swimming suit from Costco yesterday for less than $5.00! We check out the clothing section every time we shop- totally worth it!
No petites so I am not a devoted shopper but I have found a surprising number of very wearable pieces including linen shorts a cozy Danskin jacket and a drop waist t shirt dress
They sell “short” sizes online, but you usually can’t find those or plus sizes in the stores.
We have similar floats but at a fraction of the price from Amazon. I wonder what makes these special? We bought ours to use at a resort so they’d be easy to pack and easy to inflate. They’re great for our local trips too! We keep them in the trunk of the car and they take up little space.
Been daydreaming about traveling out west to the great national parks: Yellowstone, Black Hills, Grand Tetons (have already done the Grand Canyon which should be seen by everyone!). Any book recommendations? Any genre is encouraged!
Our floats were indeed cheaper when we bought them earlier this summer with this exact link!
Off the top of my head: the Morgan Matson’s YA novel Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour has some Yellowstone chapters, and Peter Heller’s Celine is set in the park as well. Hope you have a wonderful trip, and wonderful daydreams in the meantime!
We don’t have a CostCo near me, but my mother sends me two packs of the Kirkland’s camisoles when I need more. I where these thin camisoles under sweaters, cardigans, and any shirt that is thin enough to need an underlayer or that I might be worried about riding up when I sit down (so basically under everything). They are fitted and slightly stretchy, come in a variety of colors and I love them.
wear not where 😐
Costco Skorts for golf and running errands. SC&Co, Eddie Bauer. Carol Hochman panties and Loungewear.
Love Costco for my house-lounging and errand running clothes. Nice quality, and most of my joggers, knit shorts, etc. come from there.
Costco clothing finds:
Lined jeans for my husband, surprisingly long wearing and comfy leggings for me
My Costco skorts have been in constant rotation for the past three summers!
I love love LOVE their down vests and jackets for winter. Price is definitely right although that comes with low-ish quality (zippers can catch, material gets pulls easily) but they are super soft and cozy and squish down into nothing when you want to (a) travel with an extra warm layer or (b) layer this item under a raincoat or other jacket for dog walking in winter.
I have used Covergirl outlast for over 20 years. It’s a great product. I have found that the bright reds don’t last as long as the other colors but I really like this product.
Here’s one for future links – I just read that the people who created the podcast Song Exploder are starting Book Exploder – talking to authors about portions of their work. For those who like to “see how the sausage is made.” 🙂
I’m excited at the concept! I haven’t listened yet.
I loved that article on first lines if the characters didn’t have daycare. Thanks.
Haha! We moved to FL from upstate NY last year and my husband has pretty much made his whole wardrobe from Costco at this point. Dress pants/dress shorts/workout shorts/polo shirts. It’s all so cheap and nice looking!
i’ve found a few pairs of athleisure that I enjoy as well, but I think their men’s dept is nicer 🙂
I ALWAYS check out the clothes at Costco. Though I’ve been disappointed in the women’s options for the last several years. Not sure if it’s just our local store, or if it’s everywhere. They seem to have better brands for the men’s clothes these days. But I have several hoodies I bought years ago and still wear. A great pair of Calvin Klein jeans from probably 7 years ago. And my still favorite – athletic pants that are very similar to lululemon’s Dance Studio pant…AND they had them in Tall! I’ve never seen them again, but I always check. I’ve had them for at least 8 years and they are still going strong. (I also have one pair of the lulu’s and I actually like the Costco ones better!)
I have lots of great finds from Costco – pants, dresses, tops! I also buy lots of my son’s clothes there (wish they, like many other stores had as much selection for boys as they do for girls). Get his winter coat there every year.
I do sometimes buy and always look at the clothes at Costco. I find casual/athletic clothes mostly. You have to be careful not to buy things just because they are a great price. The other nice thing is that if the store is out of the color/size I want, you can often get it online. It may be a dollar or two more but the free shipping makes up for that.
I have found great clothes at Costco! Years ago, they had a Calvin Klein packable down jacket that I still wear. My favorite purchase is a denim jacket that I paid $20 for and have worn for several years. Last weekend, I got my son a pair of Greg Norman khaki shorts for $17. Definitely worth checking out!
It wouldn’t have been the first place I looked, but we were gifted Costco cloth diapers years ago. I liked them so much that I bought another batch. They lasted through 3 out of my 4 kids! After that, we’d peek at the clothes any time we were in the store.
My father bought his coveralls there when GI Joe’s went out of business and he couldn’t find anyplace else that had them.
In that same line – I never thought of buying clothing on Amazon, but the basic t-shirts are a great price and wear well. Who knew?
+1 for the Kirkland camisoles. One horrible summer (like 100°+ days in June in PA) I found these light as air sun dresses at Costco. I bought one and went back to buy the other two styles because I had worn the one I bought three days in a row! They were a lifesaver that summer.
Do you mind sharing what reading in an incognito window is? Thanks!
And why?
Yes! Why would I want to read this particular article in an incognito window?
We have those pool floats also. We found when they spring a leak we just replaced the blow up tubes with pool noodles. Works great.
Trish’s write up about bookstores made me tear up a little… I really miss being completely surrounded by books & their smell!
I have quite a few pairs of leggings, and other workout wear from Costco (the puma sports bras are so comfortable!), as well as some joggers, “lounging” pants, tops. I always take a look, and also look for stuff for my grandkids. They often have Carter’s dresses and PJs at good prices.