a lifestyle blog for book lovers

What’s in store for your weekend? As for me, I’m a little sleepy because I was up late for last night’s Fall Book Preview, so I’m hoping to get some quality downtime this weekend. We’re also planning on doing a little tidying and streaming Thor: Love and Thunder now that it’s available (even though we’ve heard it’s not that great—is this true?).

I hope you have something to look forward to these next few days, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.

My favorite finds from around the web:

  • I sent my friend and team member Leigh home with Galison Blooming Books 750 piece puzzle on one of her visits. She recently put it together and was surprised to discover the pieces had been pre-sorted by color, which gave her a leg up on this challenging puzzle. That was all compliments of the friend who originally gave it to me! I just kept the system going.
  • The End of Manual Transmission. I never thought I’d see the day. I’ve always been (unreasonably) proud of learning to drive stick at sixteen. It’s like riding a bike …

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Have a great weekend!

19 comments

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  1. mae says:

    I noticed you completely redesigned your homepage/website and I am having some issues accessing content from your menu (read/listen/shop/join) but only when I am not directly on your homepage. For example, when I am on this specific page/post, there are issues with your drop down menus. The three options under the read’ menu mostly display just fine. However, only the first clickable options under the listen/shop/join display because all the widgets (starting with the ‘for young readers’ in the right hand sidebar cover up the other ones.

  2. Seppie says:

    There is one way to get back everything the Atlantic article author bemoans about losing with the loss of the manual transmission: Ride a bicycle! I’ve switched from car to bike as my primary mode of transportation, and it is so FUN! We haven’t yet gotten rid of our second car – a manual – but as soon as I add a cargo ebike to my two-wheeled transportation options, we will!

  3. Sally says:

    Kind of unrelated question…are you still sending Kindle, etc book deals each day? For some reason, I stopped getting them. 😊

    • Will says:

      Hi Sally, we still send those. I looked and I can see that you no longer get them but don’t have an explanation why. I have updated your email subscriptions so those will begin again. Sorry I didn’t notice this comment until now.

  4. taylor says:

    I had several people tell me how much they loved Thor: Love and Thunder so I saw it and loved it too so I vote yes to watching it.

  5. Amy says:

    They drive manual cars almost exclusively in Ireland. If you want to rent an automatic, it’s QUITE a bit more expensive. I always let my husband drive when we go. I can drive a manual here, but there, everything is on the other side and I don’t think I could manage a manual with my left hand!

  6. Suzy says:

    I also learned to drive on a stick shift, and while it was handy to be able to drive a manual at times when I needed to, I never liked it—way too many things to think about for me! I’d get talking and forget to shift—I won’t miss them if they disappear forever….!

  7. Angie says:

    My teenaged crew of Marvel nerds thoroughly enjoyed Thor L&T—lots of cheesiness and obvious jokes, but that’s the point of the Thor series, no?

  8. Jennifer says:

    Definitely watch L&T. Will it win an Oscar? Absolutely not. Was it a great way to spend time with my 12-year-old boy? Absolutely!

  9. Elisabeth says:

    The main rule I follow for hanging art/photos is the 57″ rule (referenced in a graphic on the page you linked) – the center of any piece should be at 57″ high.
    1. Measure the height of the piece + divide by 2 to find the center
    2. Subtract from the center measurement the difference between the top of the piece and where the nail will hang it (the space from a metal hanger on the back {or a picture wire pulled taught in the middle} and the top, generally a number around 1-2″)
    3. Add 57″ to this number and that’s the height the nail/picture hanger should be placed

    Works perfectly nearly every time for me (with some possible slight adjustments near certain other things, like thermostats, switches, stair rails, etc.). I don’t typically have any issues with height of furniture interfering with that (and the 6-8″ above furniture that your link mentions).

  10. Sarah says:

    Am I the only one who immediately thought presorted puzzle pieces feels like cheating? I guess that’s one of the parts of the puzzle I like to do myself. Also, driving a stick is one of those skills that make me feel inordinately accomplished and powerful every time I do it (tapping a keg and making a perfect pour is another one, but I don’t use that one much anymore…) Were watching Thor Love and Thunder tonight I expect campy goodness.

  11. Diane says:

    I have 2 fun manual transmission stories! My husband purposely bought a stick shift car so that both our kids could learn to drive it. That lovely Honda Accord lived in our family for 19 YEARS! My daughter was once at a college party when some errand needed to be run in a stick shift car. She was the only person present who could drive and she loved it!

    A few weeks ago at NC State there was an armed robbery of a car but the the idiot couldn’t drive a manual, so he had to abandon his theft.

  12. Emily says:

    Manual cars are the default here in the UK, & it’s what the vast majority of drivers learn in. I don’t even think about the logistics of driving one anymore (after nearly twenty years of driving) – it’s like ‘riding a bike’ (which, ironically, I cannot do.) The few times I have driven an automatic car though, my left foot keeps going to press down on a pedal which does not exist, preparing to change gear. It’s a very odd sensation – almost feels a bit like driving a bumper car at the fair?!

  13. Tina says:

    As a comic book nerd I absolutely hated Thor L&T. They absolutely ruined the storyline of the villain and, instead of it being the powerful story that it was in the comics, with some of my Thor moments that I’ve read, it was yet another typical modern Marvel movie – cheesy and full of humor that fell flat for me. As a huge Thor fan, I’ve been really disappointed by how they’ve chosen to turn his character into a bumbling oaf used for comic relief, instead of the wise powerful, well-developed character he has grown into over the last 60+ years. And I didn’t even mention what they’ve done with the lore of that universe.

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