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Interesting reads and favorite things to ease you into that weekend frame of mind

What are you up to this weekend? Around here we’re anticipating a soggy weekend, so we’ll try to stay cozy and dry while celebrating a family birthday, going to a musical, and reading up a storm.

I hope this new post finds you well, 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:

‘We’re book nerds’: the female friends opening bookshops together. (The Guardian) I very much support this.

Inside the Early Days of J.Crew: Before Jenna Lyons or Olympia Gayot, There Was Emily Cinader. (Vanity Fair) My kind of fashion history.

The 10 Hardest Wordle Stumpers of 2022. (Mental Floss) Is this an appropriate place to brag that I got STAID in two this week? (That hasn’t happened in ages!)

The 21 Days of Beauty Sale is ON at Ulta. Today’s 50% off deals include Bobbi Brown lip gloss, Clinique Happy, Better Than Sex mascara, and Smashbox eyeliner.

Walking the Brooklyn Heights That Inspired ‘Pineapple Street’ Author Jenny Jackson. (Dwell)

15 Paint Colors That Will Make Your Home Feel Warm and Cozy. (Real Simple) I love the greens and plums and beiges here, but 90% of my home is #8, Benjamin Moore’s Simply White.

You have to really love your idea. (Austin Kleon) “When you create anything, the spirit you create it with, the energy, the excitement, is translated into the product itself. So when somebody writes a book just for money, you can kind of smell it. When you read the book, it kind of reeks. We can sense that. But when the writer is excited, it excites the reader.”

Your comments on our little luxuries post continue to inspire: my most recent find from your recommendations is Diva Wash from Tyler Candle Company (I got mine straight from Tyler, but it’s also available on Amazon). I love it so much and am thinking of trying other scents; I’ve heard good things about High Maintenance and Icon. (If you have recommendations, please share in comments!)

What Is a Reverse Grocery List? Here’s How to Save Time at the Store With One. (Taste of Home) Interesting concept.

These Balsamic-Glazed Oven-Baked Ribs made for a delicious (and relatively easy) family dinner. (NYT gift link)

Why you should always pick the worst seat when flying on a plane. (Mirror UK) This made me laugh—and will make me feel better about my seat assignment the next time I end up in the back (as per usual).

Toni Morrison is memorialized on a USPS Forever stamp. (CNN) These will be mine on my next post office run.

Staples for my winter to spring transitional wardrobe. (MMD) For this time of year when it’s seventy degrees one day and thirty the next.

How My Wife and I Took Back Our Sundays. (The Atlantic) Goals.

Beware of Book Blurbs. (The Millions) The practice of book blurbs has long been debated. (For more on the subject, listen to this Patreon bonus episode.)

Ten Dazzling Celestial Events to See in 2023. (Smithsonian Magazine)

From our archives:

8 beautiful, practical cookbooks you’ll turn to again and again. Here are the cookbooks I keep in regular rotation.

15 audiobooks read by your favorite celebrity narrators. Celebrity narrators are here to stay.

37 fun, useful, and generally worthwhile gifts for your kids’ Easter baskets. Another great addition here is My Reading Adventures: A Book Journal for Kids.

Have a great weekend!

23 comments

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  1. Nicole says:

    Long ago I took the time to make a grocery list of things I typically buy in the order of the aisles where I typically shop. I did it on the computer and while it did take a bit of time to create, it was so worth it! I keep a copy on the pantry door and circle what’s needed as we run out. I also have it in my notes on my phone so if I don’t create a list, I can do a mental rundown of what we need when I’m shopping. I made a similar Target list as well (but whoever sticks to that…). I have to update occasionally but it has served me well and saved a lot of time and mental energy!

    • Brenda says:

      I do the same thing, but in the Cozi app which is also our family calendar. I have a “reverse” list for every store I frequent. It’s an inventory of everything we usually have in the house. Every week I go through the lists, see what we’re low on, and uncheck the item’s checkbox to “add” those things to my shopping list. It’s amazing and we have rarely run out of things since I set that up.

  2. Rebecca says:

    I can only read the first part of the Atlantic article and then it prompts me to start a free trial. Am I doing something wrong or is everyone just signing up for the free trial? Thanks!

    • Anne Bogel says:

      I thought they let you read a few pieces each month without a subscription; I read The Atlantic regularly enough that I really should get a subscription but for now an incognito window typically allows me to read pieces in full.

      • Sheila says:

        I have the same issue as Rebecca. I would like to read the stories you link out to The Atlantic, but it always cuts me off.

  3. Susan Averill says:

    Re: Ultra’s special buys
    Anyone who names a product or cake or something as “better than sex” just needs lessons…

  4. Sarah says:

    Grays and beiges look fine in pictures, but I feel sad when they are on my walls. We bought a house that had been beautifully done in browns and greiges. It was so depressing. A year in we painted almost all of the upstairs sky high blue, and it was like a cloud had lifted. Our houses always end up with colorful walls (pinks, greens, blues and yellows, yes please), I’m a minimalist in many things, but I can’t be happy without color.

    • Anne Bogel says:

      That’s so interesting! Something I’ve learned for myself is how much the natural light matters. I remember trying a shade I LOVED in a friend’s home on my own walls, and it looked positively bleak in the northern exposure of that particular room.

      I wish I could see what your blue walls look like! So happy that the color makes YOU happy.

  5. Julia Turshen’s most recent cookbook “Simply Julia” is my most-used cookbook! Although I have 100s of cookbooks in my collection, I find myself using this book so often – both for the actual recipes and for inspiration. Julia is the ultimate hero of home cooks, she’s an excellent writer and all of her recipes are foolproof. I suggest that everyone add this book to their cookbook collection and use it often!

  6. Hilary says:

    Per the article about the “worst seat on the plane”:
    I flew in the last row of the airplane right by the bathrooms on a long flight and the smell was so overwhelmingly strong and pungent, I thought I might throw up. I would try to avoid it at all cost. Getting your seat kicked is annoying but not as bad as that!

    • Arden says:

      I’ve never had an issue with smell in the back of a plane and that would be awful. I was in the back of the plane on my last flight to a tiny airport and they opened the back door and let us out. We beat out the business class people. LOL

      • Angela says:

        If it’s an international flight, the smell is usually bad. It also depends on how often they clean it, and that can depend on the airline. For commercial flights I would sit in the back.

  7. Sarah Williams says:

    I have painted my bedroom walls the palest of creamy yellows. It’s like waking up to soft sunshine every morning – even in February.

  8. Diane P Averett says:

    For those of you interested in celestial events, take note there’s to be a total solar eclipse in April 2024! My husband and I are planning an epic road trip from NC to be in path of totality. A great reason to plan an adventure!

    • Lois Williams says:

      Yes! We live in the path of totality for the 2024 eclipse and we’ve invited our extended family to come stay with us so we can all experience it together. Eclipses are an amazing experience – I’ve seen a couple.

  9. Mara says:

    90% of my home is Benjamin Moore simply white too!
    PS I love the articles that you select and look forward to this newsletter every week.

  10. Martha says:

    Austin Kleon’s blog is one of my favorite inspirations for art, music, books, movies and more ( owls? bike riding? family time?).

  11. Marie says:

    Google Keep is what I use for my reverse grocery list and it has been a game changer for my family this year. My children have access to it and add to the list from their devices before I go out and buy for the week.

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