Happy Friday, readers! What does your weekend hold? We’re looking forward to Friday pizza night and the new episode of The Last Thing He Told Me. (Did I say this exact same thing last Friday? Maybe!) I also have some fun graduation events to attend with our oldest daughter, and a good book to finish. (I’m finally listening to Once There Were Wolves on audio and really enjoying it!)
I hope you have something to look forward to this weekend, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.
The Summer Reading Guide drops May 18!
It’s almost time! We’re delivering the guide by email on Thursday, May 18 at 8:00am EDT (that’s NYC time). Our two live Unboxing events happen that day at 1:00pm and 8:30pm EDT; the replay will be available for viewing anytime, beginning May 19.
I’ve been recording short videos to share about this year’s guide; today I’m doing that on social media, talking about the guide and answering your questions in Instagram stories.
Video is great for context, but I know many of you like to see the highlights in writing:
• The MMD Minimalist Summer Reading Guide will appear on the blog as a blog post on May 18. (Yes, that’s the same day the Summer Reading Guide releases. This year’s Minimalist SRG includes twelve titles! We announced six of those titles right here; the remaining six will be announced on May 18. The Minimalist Guide is completely free and available to all.
• There are three ways to get the full 2023 MMD Summer Reading Guide and included Unboxing access:
- Join our MMD Book Club community
- Support our What Should I Read Next Patreon
- Purchase the Guide and Unboxing access a la carte.
• Not sure which option is right for you? This page has a side-by-side comparison. Ginger and I also recorded a fun WSIRN bonus episode called By popular request: Anne and Ginger talk Patreon vs Book Club. We’ve made this publicly available so anyone—not just WSIRN patrons—can listen.
• Our Unboxing party is a joyous 90+ minute live video event where I tell you about all 50 new-for-2023 titles in the guide and why I chose each one, plus answer reader questions about theme, tone, and content so readers can get a better feel for what they want to prioritize (or put off) this summer. If you have guide access, you have Unboxing access—plus the replay to watch anytime.
• If you would like to hear more about what’s different for 2023 Guide pricing and why, please check out this post and video. I go into detail there.
We hope you’re excited! If you have questions we didn’t answer, please ask me on Instagram or share them in comments.
My favorite finds from around the web:
What is this summer’s big mystery book? (Lit Hub) In case you missed it, Flatiron announced a big celebrity memoir is coming out July 9…but they didn’t reveal whose. The internet initially thought it was written by Taylor Swift, but yesterday afternoon Flatiron announced the author to be the K-Pop stars BTS. (New York Times gift link) What a wild week!
Plant Kween’s Leafy Brooklyn Apartment Is Rooted in Love. (Cup of Jo) If you need a mood boost, this is the home tour for you!
This adorable gingham robe comes highly recommended. (For better or worse, the product photo also makes me want to cut bangs again!)
Notes from Prince Harry’s Ghostwriter. (The New Yorker) “Why was this one line so important? Why couldn’t he accept my advice? We were leaving out a thousand other things—that’s half the art of memoir, leaving stuff out—so what made this different? Please, I said, trust me. Trust the book.”
When Life Gives You Preserved Lemons, Make Paste. (Taste) I love preserved lemon so I need to try this asap!
Stress Tested: These School Librarians Hit the Breaking Point. Here’s How They Moved On. (School Library Journal) Librarians sure have been put through the wringer in recent years. They deserve so much better.
My wide feet make it hard to find shoes that fit, but these Amazon Essentials sandals are a winner for me and my 18-year-old daughter. Mine are gold, hers are white, and they’re both perfect for summer. (If you don’t have wide feet, I’m jealous. These are the gold sandals I WISH I could be wearing this summer! They’re adorable on, but not even the largest size came remotely close to fitting my big, wide feet.)
The World’s 8 Most Mind-Bending Homes. (Architectural Digest) I can’t imagine living in most of these but they sure are fascinating to look at.
The Free-Returns Party Is Over. (The Atlantic) “Convenience is always expensive for someone. For much of the internet era, the individual buyer hasn’t been footing the bill, but slowly, that has begun to change.”
This Sheet Pan Gnocchi and Roasted Vegetables recipe was a huge hit at my house this week. (How Sweet Eats) We didn’t have cherry tomatoes on hand so we doubled the bell peppers, and added some chopped roasted chicken for the last five minutes of cooking. Delicious and super simple.
An unpublished novel by Gabriel García Márquez is set for release next year. (NPR) While readers are no doubt excited about this decision, I wonder what the author would make of it.
Why You Shouldn’t Buy Your Produce At Trader Joe’s. (Delish) Totally makes sense, but that doesn’t mean I want to hear it!
‘Demon Copperhead,’ ‘Trust,’ ‘His Name Is George Floyd’ Among 2023 Pulitzer Prize Winners. (Publishers Weekly) I adored Demon Copperhead!
From our archives:
20 backlist favorites from 10 years of the Summer Reading Guide. A little something to whet your appetite as you wait for this year’s Summer Reading Guide.
A trick for when you’re stuck in a reading rut. Such a simple tip for anyone who’s struggling to read right now.
10 romance novels that are perfect for summer reading. This list was a Modern Mrs Darcy first!
Have a great weekend!
28 comments
I can’t wait for the SRG to release next week! I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas!
It’s the most wonderful (nerdiest) time of the year!
We’re doing the exact same thing tonight! Every Friday is pizza night. Each person makes their own pizza and we watch something. Lately we’ve been obsessed with “The Last Thing He Told Me”. They did a great job with this adaptation and I do not give that praise lightly. Once There Were Wolves is in my pile. I’m reading Take My Hand and The Seven Husband’s Of Evelyn Hugo.
We thought last week’s episode was fantastic! I’m excited to see what happens next … which is a funny thing to say since I’ve read the book, but I trust you know what I mean!
It’s the sign of a good adaptation when you’ve read the book and know exactly how it ends, but you’re still hooked! I think part of the reason it’s so enjoyable is that they actually shot in the locations where the book takes place (Sausalito and Austin). So many TV shows cut corners by trying to convince you that some generic looking Vancouver neighborhood is actually NYC.
So true, that IS a good sign. And I think you’re on to something: we can’t get enough Sausalito!
From the SLJ article…as a youth services librarian in a municipal library in NJ, I had heard the local school superintendent say this very thing…waaay back in 1994. But, of course, no changes, support, etc.🙄
“Oliver argues that the library field needs to acknowledge that librarians often serve as social workers and sometimes both first and second responders in emergencies.”
I have wide feet too and have been wearing these and loving them for years. Similar to yours Anne but more arch support!
https://www.icloud.com/notes/03ashwCisGkaIGdStmrQ8_7cQ#Munro_Pisces_Sling_Sandals,_Natural/White,_9.5_Ww/2E
Thank you for the wide shoe recs, Ellen! Send them ANYTIME. 🙂
Laura, librarians deserve so much better! Thanks for sharing from your experience. (Are you still working as a librarian?)
I have Trust out from the library right now. Will have to bump it up my TBR pile! My university alumni association book club chose it as their current book club selection, which put it on my radar.
Right now, I’m listening to The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. A big time commitment (31+ hours), but I am enjoying it. Narrated by the author. He does a great job, IMO.
I love this list to book recommendations, recipes, and fashion ideas! Can’t wait to read Demon Copperhead and make lemon curd. I’m also excited for the gnocchi recipe! I think that will pair nicely with Salmon for a Mother’s Day meal
I also loved Demon Copperhead! The highest compliment I can give a book is when the character(s) ceases to be a character and exists in my head as a real person. Demon joins such characters as Owen Meany, Anne Shirley, and Pi Patel in receiving that compliment.
I have such mixed feelings about Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I love magical realism, and Garcia Marquez’s writing is breathtakingly beautiful. BUT I sense misogynism in the way he writes women. It puts me off.
Definitely going to try that sheet pan gnocchi and veggie recipe!
Oh, and a PS. I’ve been looking for a cute but comfortable pair of canvas sneakers to wear on a trip to Japan. A few weeks ago I noticed that Allbirds’ canvas Pacers were on sale and bought a pair, on Anne’s recommendation, and I am SOLD! So comfy and I can wear them with pants/capris or dresses.
I’m so glad those shoes are working for you. Have a wonderful trip!
I love the Preserved Lemon Paste from NY Shuk (and many of their other pastes and spices). I put it in salad dressing, on roasted or grilled veg to give a bright flavor, in marinades… It’s great! https://www.nyshuk.com/shop-shuk/preserved-lemon-paste
Since I’m eager to try something like this, I’m thrilled to hear it! I love a little zing in my dishes. 🙂
Firstly, I CANNOT. WAIT. FOR SRG 2023. I think you’ve done such a great job marketing it and making it seem like such a prize (which it is & affordable to boot). So happy.
I totally agree with TJ produce being sub-par. My MO is to go to TJ’s and then to Whole Foods. I get all the great items from TJ like Crunchy Curls (potato & lentil snack), organic low fat cheese sticks etc., and I get all the fresh produce from WF. It’s a marked difference in quality and the article even says may not even be more expensive. Totally worth it! Thank you again for all that you do to enrich our lives.
Jill, thank you for the kind words. (And for the produce tips!)
First, I ate up every word written by Prince Harry’s ghostwriter in The New Yorker, loved it, thank you—
Second, I have wide feet, too, and am always out looking for good ones. I looked up the sandals you gave the link to, and they are unavailable now in 10 Wide, and 10.5 Wide. So sad!
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear they’re sold out! My hope is that the popularity of wide options means maybe, just maybe, we’ll get more styles available in wide widths in the future?
Vionic also has selections of wide shoes and sandals.
I keep hearing good things about this brand!
Anne, I am so glad that you are listening to Wolves…Never heard of it but I read it based on the recommendation from your podcast…just wonderful! This WSIRN enterprise is a gift to me! Don’t postpone joy! ❣️
I’m delighted to hear this! And yes, it’s been a guest favorite more than once.
Hi, have you read Migrations from same author? I absolutely loved it, 5 stars.
No, but my husband Will enjoyed it!
Those Architect’s Digest houses are fascinating. If you haven’t seen the Zillow Gone Wild instagram page yet, you’ve got to check it out.
I almost never buy produce from TJ’s for a variety of reasons. The packaging issue is one reason I don’t. That said, I notice that regular grocers are packaging more and leaving fewer options ‘loose’. I attribute that to the boom in the delivery and pick-up business since Covid.
The one TJ’s produce recommendation I can make is this: in the fall, when pomegranates come into season, TJ’s are the very best in size, ripeness, and price. And they are loose – not packaged. Totally worth a special trip. 🙂