What are you up to this weekend? I’m looking forward to getting to see my college kid do his sports thing this weekend (a rare treat), plus my teen girls are hosting a fall dinner party I can’t wait to spy on! I hope you have something good to look forward to, and that this collection of interesting reads and a few favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.
A quick note: Rumor has it that My Reading Adventures is out of stock on Amazon. Have no fear, readers! My local indie Carmichael’s Bookstore and Winston-Salem nonprofit Bookmarks NC not only have it, they have signed copies!
The journal is also in stock at some of my favorite indies nationwide: Browsers Bookshop in Olympia, Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Main Street Books in Davidson, The Bookshelf in Thomasville GA, Fabled Bookshop in Waco, The Novel Neighbor in STL, and maybe at your local indie as well? Make an indie’s day with your online order: happy shopping, happy reading, happy journaling!
My favorite finds from around the web:
- ‘If We Were Villains’: Blink49 Studios And ‘Sex Education’ Producer Eleven Team To Adapt M.L. Rio’s Thriller As Series. This is going to be one atmospheric set.
- The Kindle edition for Goodreads Choice Nominee and Wall Street Journal bestseller Don’t Overthink It is just $1.59 right now. Get it while it’s hot! (Check out more curated ebook deals right here.)
- Send Yourself a Bouquet of Sharpened Pencils Today. “Over 20 years later, days like this, where it’s crisp and breezy but the sun is still warm, and the leaves are starting to turn and show off against the bright blue sky, remind me that the romance of pencil life is still possible.”
- The Liberty of London 2022 Beauty Advent calendar is here. Highly recommended as an impressive and undeniably lavish gift for yourself or a beauty and skincare-loving friend or loved one. Charlotte Tilbury’s Beauty Advent Calendar also has its share of raving fans, but I haven’t tried it yet myself. At a more affordable price point, Olive and June offers calendars for both Christmas and Hannukah.
- What It’s Like to Create an American Girl Doll. Author Brit Bennett shares how she came to create Claudie, a Black girl growing up during the Harlem Renaissance, for American Girl.
- Two-Buck Chuck: Wine of the People or a Cultural Wedge? (Gift link.) This makes unfortunate sense.
- My daughter thought this paint-by-numbers kit for grown-ups was the best kind of stress relief.
- The History of the Trapper Keeper. Talk about nostalgia!
- 20 German-ish Recipes to Celebrate Oktoberfest. See any faves?
- I listened to Normal Gossip on my friend Leigh’s recommendation while driving to the Bookmarks NC literary festival last weekend. I’m grateful for the enjoyment and laughter it brought this nervous traveler.
- What Would Your High School Self Think Of You Now? Fun interview with Elyssa Friedland, author of a book featured in this week’s book list.
- The Disappearing Art Of Maintenance. “Maintenance isn’t a program. It’s a practice.”
- Have you seen these Vintage Bookshelf Edition classic games yet? I am in LOVE.
- Amazon’s $23,698,655.93 book about flies. I’ve always wondered about those bizarrely high book prices.
Don’t miss these posts:
- 31 mystery novels avid readers recommend again and again. Calling all mystery readers!
- The best book you’ve never heard of on … navigating the tween and teen years. This is a book I would download into my brain if I could.
Upcoming Events:
- October 5: 10 Things You Want to Know About Literary Awards: While it’s absolutely possible to have a vibrant reading life without knowing the ins and outs of book awards, it is fun to know what kinds of works get recognized, and why, which lists to pay attention to if you like a certain style, genre, or section of the bookstore. (This is a Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club event. Events are available as replays for members who cannot attend live.)
- October 20: WSIRN Trivia Night: Our team has been talking about putting on Trivia Night for ages and we’re thrilled to finally offer this fun bookish event for our What Should I Read Next Patreon community!
You can find more upcoming events here.
Have a great weekend!
10 comments
I’m from Dayton, OH and my dad new someone involved in the Trapper Keeper project. Thanks for bringing back some good memories.
Re: Untangled (the parenting book I also recommend to every single person I know who has female children), have you read her newer book Under Pressure? It’s a deeper dive into anxiety. Unfortunately, I thought she repeated too much content from Untangled so it didn’t give me as many new tools as I had hoped for but there were still a few useful nuggets.
The other book that I recommend to all parents is The Self-Driven Child by William Stixrud, PhD and Ned Johnson. They also have a new one out that I’m planning to read shortly – What Do You Say? How to Talk with Kids to Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home.
I’ve read both Lisa Damour books more than once! I was thrilled to just read this week she has a new book coming out in February called The Emotional Lives of Teenagers.
I absolutely loved Untangled! I just finished Under Pressure and agree with you that a lot of it is repetitive. I didn’t know she has a new book coming out next year – excited to read it!
I can attest we have copies of the reading journal in stock!
Andrea @ Browsers 🙂
Happy to hear it!
I thoroughly enjoyed the article about maintenance. My late husband owned a refrigeration & Hvac business, and always preached preventative maintenance to his customers, both commercial and residential. Most only got the message after costly repairs. Change those filters and clean those coils! I am amazed how many people will replace their very expensive vacuum cleaners because they lose suction who never cleaned or replaced the filters per the owners manual. It’s like changing the oil in your car – most things we own will have a longer, more productive life span if we follow the recommended maintenance.
This is so interesting. Thanks for sharing, Jean!
Just a short FYI – the October fest in Munich is NOT in October, it‘s in September. I will be over this weekend. If you ever want to go, you need to be in Munich in the last 2 weeks of September, but please don‘t expect any of the food listed in this article…
Also, please don‘t trust articles that say „I grew up in Milwaukee, home to some of the best German food in the country“. This is ridiculous.
And no, neither roasted potato salad is German fare nor is German chocolate cake … And anything made with Parmesan and Garlic – well, we consider this to be Italian in Germany.
Meg Ryan…When Harry met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, and Sleepless in Seattle…ahhh! Makes want to watch them again (for the umpteenth time!) Love! And the writing, fills me with joy each time. Love Fall…and school supplies!