How has your week been? It’s been a hard week at home in Louisville after Monday’s tragedy. Thanks so much for your kind words and messages for my family (we are all safe) and my city; they are very much appreciated.
I’m starting the weekend in Nashville on a final college visit with our high school senior—but we’re also sneaking in a bookstore visit or two. May your weekend be filled with grace, peace, rest, and good books, and may this collection of interesting reads and favorite things help ease you into that weekend frame of mind.
My favorite finds from around the web:
‘Beach Read’ Film Adaptation in the Works. (Kirkus Reviews) Who’s excited?
Behind the Scenes of Barack Obama’s Reading Lists. (Esquire) I gotta say, the subtitle of this piece scared me, but I’m relieved to learn he reads a lot and is sharing books he loves.
I made a classic key lime pie for Easter and it was FANTASTIC.
Fashion is finally designing for women over 40. (Fast Company) Here. For. It.
In case you missed it: What you need to know about the 2023 Summer Reading Guide, coming May 18.
This Favorite Daughter Collegiate Sweatshirt cracks me up! Who needs one?
Meet the Street Librarian Giving Away 1,000’s of Free Books to Black Children. (BlackNews.com) Amazing!
This Connecticut House Tour Is Our Most Colorful One Yet. (Cup of Jo) This makes me want to go paint a room coral, or turquoise, or kelly green!
The Best (and Easiest) Way to Clean Stained Coffee Mugs. (Apartment Therapy) No surprise here—we use Bar Keeper’s Friend A LOT around here!
In ‘Hamnet,’ Shakespeare’s Wife Takes the Spotlight, at Last. (New York Times gift link) The Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel opened this week in London. I LOVED this book and am curious about the play.
Speaking of cleaning: we’re loving these reusable microfiber face cleaning pads at my house. (The key to using these is obvious, but since it took me a while to figure it out I’m sharing: keep a designated small bowl or something near the sink for dirty pads, and wash them in a mesh bag when it’s full.)
16 of Our Best-Ever Grilled Cheese Recipes to Celebrate Grilled Cheese Day. (The Kitchn) It was April 12 but I think we can keep celebrating.
Here’s Why You Get a Book Hangover—and How to Get Over It. (Reader’s Digest) Helpful advice.
From the archives:
Nerdy nonfiction for readers who love to learn. Embrace your inner nerd and find a new niche interest with these nonfiction reads!
5 common triggers for highly sensitive people, and 5 antidotes to help them. Here’s what HSPs need to feel calm, content, and collected during these overstimulated times.
Give your reading life a quick boost with these 21 short and satisfying novels. When your attention span is short or your reading life feels lackluster, try a novella! It might just be the pick-me-up your reading life needs.
Have a great weekend!
25 comments
I’m going to see Hamnet in June! But small correction – it’s opened in Stratford-upon-Avon not London.
Hi! Love everything you do! Did you know Hamnet is coming to the big screen too? Also, did you use fresh or bottled lime juice in your pie?
Thank you,
Fellow bookworm.
I don’t get the FAVORITE DAUGHTER sweatshirt.
It’s just a joke (?) but I’m scratching my head over it.
It’s the name of a brand, as well as an opportunity for a joke.
I am not sure I fully get it either, but I did think it might be funny to give this to both my daughters ($88 2x for trendy sweatshirts that will be uncool in a year or two is too much though). It would be even more amusing if one of them got it for themselves and wore it home to a family gathering!
Key Lime pie: Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime juice is my “go to” and the recipe on the bottle is delicious and easy.
I’ve strained fresh key limes through a hand sieve (aka: to remove the seeds) and in my opinion, both the bottled and fresh limes taste similar to me.
Do not EVER use green limes as a substitute. You’ll be cheating yourself out of the distinct tart, but oh so yummy, key lime flavor.
If/When you go to Key West, FL, (an experience unto itself,) go to Blue Heaven (funky alfresco dining with roosters strolling around the place.)
The BEST key lime pie ever! My husband and I went on a “key lime pie crawl” and Blue Heaven’s was our favorite for presentation and yumminess. (The crowing roosters was an added bonus!)
Enjoy!
Just a joke. I have a friend with 2 sisters, and they all have them. They wear them to family gatherings to be funny. Like, “I’m the favorite, No, I am.”
Love the sweatshirt! When our daughters have visited us separately, they have each taken a photo by the Favorite Daughter sign in Anthropologie and sent it to the other one. Makes me laugh!
Love the article about how genuine Barack Obama’s book lists are–they’re always so good!
Was this your first time making key lime pie for Easter? I triedmy hand at pork shoulder this year. My fiancee is half Puerto Rican and so is my 4yo son. In the Latin community, pernil(pork shoulder in Spanish) is used for holidays and special occasions. It was a hit!
Anne, I encourage you to go ahead and paint your rooms in vibrant colors! We painted one wall of our family room terra cotta and it makes me smile every time I enter the room. (By the way…you mentioned getting your bathroom wallpapered. Would love to see it. hint, hint!)
I agree, Colleen. Every room in our house is a color other than white. My Lounge/library is dark Teal and my home office is magenta, bedroom a light navy, kitchen dining a dark blue RED. And no we haven’t gotten bored with it. 🙂
I’m so glad to hear how much you love your terra cotta wall! Our wallpaper isn’t up yet but I hope it will be soon. And I have my eye on an exceptionally bright coral I’m considering for our tiny guest room. Small feels safer, I need to ease into it!
How do you buy the unboxing and summer reading list Ala carte?
Thanks for asking, Pam! We’ll have that sign-up ready to go on Tuesday, April 18.
To continue the celebration of all things ‘grilled cheese’, I’d suggest this series: https://www.lindasreilly.com/grilledcheese.html
A cozy mystery series about a woman who runs a grilled cheese restaurant. There are 3 in the series and think they are fun in between longer, or more taxing books. I adore grilled cheese and the recipe for tomato soup is delicious…easy to make and freeze.
I keep a cute plastic cup next to the sink for my reusable pads. It cant break and doesnt take up much space.
I love my reusable makeup remover pads. I hung a small command strip hook on the inside of my bathroom cabinet and hang the mesh bag on it. I just pop the used ones right in the bag and just ready to go on laundry day!
So smart!
Hello! I love your website and podcast. I am a super, super slow reader hence why I’ not a member. But I would like to do the ala carte option for the summer reading list. I looked in the shop section and other links at the top but could not find where to donate for that option. Is is coming out later? Thank you!
Lisa, thanks so much for asking. We’ll have that ready to roll on Tuesday, April 18!
I always enjoy Obama’s reading list every year. I add a few to my TBR every year..:)
I always hear that the way to maintain reading momentum is to start another book right after you finish your current one. I can never dive right into another book. I always need a few days in between. So I like that the “book hangover’ article said, “Hey, that’s okay. You need to live in that world with those characters for a little while longer? Do it!” 🙂
Bottle Bright, All Natural Safe Tablets from Amazon are truly amazing for cleaning anything with tea and/or coffee stains. I am amazed! A tad spendy at $8/12 tablets but works great!
My best friend’s memorial was this weekend. She was the best book buddy, and a wonderful mom to six. I miss her so, so much.😢