We’re feeling festive around here: Thanksgiving break starts for three of my four kids (pity the fourth, right?) this afternoon, and they are ready for a break! Around here we’re having Friday pizza night, going to a musical, celebrating a Friendsgiving, and—I hope—finishing a few good books.
This is your reminder to get your journal boxes we’re offering in partnership with indie Snail on the Wall while you can! Choose the I Love My Reading Life box for grown-ups or the My Reading Adventures box for kids. Click here to order yours now; orders are open through Monday, November 21. Happy journaling, and happy reading!
My favorite finds from around the web:
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2022. (Time) How many have you read?
- Shelf Life: N.K. Jemisin. (ELLE) I got a kick out of the first book she ever bought.
- 20 Fun and Festive Holiday Desserts That Aren’t Pie. (The Kitchn) YUM.
- Don’t Just Write a Novel This November. Write a Bad Novel. (Slate) Encouragement for NaNoWriMo folks.
- Do you remember that adorable sparkle sweater from last week? All sizes are freshly restocked, and Sara wanted us to know you can get sparkle pants, too! I also ordered several Everyday Sweaters while the sale is on.
- The Apartment Above the Famous Book Shop from “Notting Hill” Is for Sale. (Apartment Therapy) I’m buying it, who wants to come visit?
- Monuments to the Unthinkable. (The Atlantic) This long-form article from Clint Smith about what America can learn from Germany’s Holocaust memorials is worth the time.
- The man ghostwriting Prince Harry’s autobiography has a complicated family life of his own. (Toronto Star) I loved Andre Agassi’s memoir Open, which Moehringer also ghost-wrote, as well as his own memoir The Tender Bar. (Also quietly mentioned here: Harry got $40 million for his three-book deal.)
- I wasn’t thrilled to learn they were rearranging everything in my Target, but I have to admit the new Ulta-fied beauty and skin care section is pretty great. Now that it’s suddenly cold and dry out I’m loving the Weleda Skin Food body butter I picked up there.
- Reading in the Cruelest Months. (Tor) “It’s an intention, if you will. It’s a way to say to yourself that the dark month can have more in it than darkness, tiredness, and old aches. Those may be inevitable, but they don’t have to be all.
- Thanks so much for your cranberry suggestions last week! I made Joy the Baker’s Apple Cranberry Crumble pie—as a crisp, per your suggestions—and it was superb. Chef’s kiss!
- Aubrey Gordon Doesn’t Think Your Brain Is Broken. (Bustle) If you listen to the podcast Maintenance Phase, you’ll enjoy this profile of one of the co-hosts.
- Growing Old Online. This is especially interesting to consider in light of what’s happening with Twitter.
Don’t miss these posts:
- 25 family sagas that will sweep you away. With the holidays approaching, now is the perfect time to pick up an engrossing story about complicated families.
- My kitchen must-haves. The tools that help me create great meals that don’t take all day.
Happy Holidays from What Should I Read Next!
This week our ultimate gift recommendation episode for readers of all ages came out, featuring my conversation with Adah and Andrea from Main Street Books: Highly giftable picks for your favorite readers. We decided to do not one but TWO holiday gifting episodes this year. Episode 352 was dedicated to the younger set: Bookish gifts to delight kids and teens.
More gift ideas:
- The 2022 MMD gift guide for book lovers
- The 2022 MMD gift guide for bookish kids
- Reading Journal Boxes from The Snail on the Wall
Have a great weekend!
14 comments
Happy Weekend, Anne and team. Just a thanks for recommending Two Nights in Lisbon on one of your recent posts. I just finished the audiobook and want to listen again. Such good storytelling and plot. Amazing!
Anna, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
At your suggestion Anne I bought the sparkle sweater last week at Loft after trying it on at a store in Chicago. At first I didn’t see it in the store, then when I showed the salesperson the photo on my phone she said, “Oh that’s in the back room–it’s the hot item.” 🙂 I love it (though I thought it did run a little small–size up if you like your sweaters roomy). Then when I got home my 14-year-old daughter saw it and wanted one too, so we have not one but TWO sparkle sweaters in our house! Thanks for the awesome and festive rec!
The hot item, I love it! Funny thing—we have two sparkle sweaters in my house as well, also for myself and my daughter. 🙂
I’ve read four of those books:
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
The Marriage Portrait
This Time Tomorrow
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
I’m currently reading “Dinners with Ruth.”
My husband and I saw a couple of stumbling stones in Nuremberg this summer, and our tour guide explained a little about them. I loved learning more. That Atlantic article was amazing. Thank you for sharing.
I’ve read 4 of the books:
Babel
Carrie Soto is Back
Finding Me
This Time Tomorrow
Finding Me was my favorite of these, then Babel. The other 2 were ok.
I DNF’d The Candy House and I have 5 of the other books on my TBR.
It’s always interesting to look at lists like this, but they do not influence my reading life much.
The Tendar Bar one of my favorite reads. Good for discussion also.
The Clint Smith article brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing it.
So glad you enjoyed Joy’s recipe!
I’ve read both “Open” by Andre Agassi (ghost written by J.R. Moehringer and “The Tender Bar”, a memoir by J.R. Moehringer. These are two of my favorite books as they have stayed with me for a long time. The writing is superb!
“Open” is the story of Andre Aggassi’s life. You do not have to even like tennis to enjoy this book. I now can appreciate what life is like for a tennis star (or any sports star for that matter. It’s a page turner, fascinating and hard to put down
“The Tender Bar” is a coming of age story and the author growing up without a father. Enormously moving and well worth the read. Excellent writing!
The Clint Smith article in the Atlantic was just amazing. Anne, thank you for introducing me to him. I love the way he writes. His work makes me think which is the main reason I like it so much.
If you enjoyed that long form piece I highly recommend his book How the Word Is Passed!
The Tender Bar author wrote Harry’s autobiography?!? I love that book! So intrigued!!