What’s your weekend mood? I’m excited (and honestly more than a little relieved) to have my college babies back home for the semester break; it’s so nice to have everyone under one roof again. This weekend we’re popping all over town for errands and get-togethers, but I also hope to bake cookies, make spiced nuts, and actually put some ornaments on our tree. (We got as far as the lights back in November, but no farther.)
I also might sneak out to a coffee shop to tick away at my to-do list: we have LOTS of good stuff happening around MMD and WSIRN before our holiday pause, including a never-seen-before lookback event in MMD Book Club. If you’re contemplating joining or returning to our community, now is a great time to jump in—especially with our Team Best Books of the Year and Spring Book Preview right around the corner! Hot tip: we have gift memberships available in our shop.
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.
My favorite finds from around the web:
After ‘Barbie,’ Greta Gerwig Has No Plans to Rest. (Vanity Fair) Looking forward to whatever she does next.
Unconventional packing tips for your next trip. (MMD) This isn’t your typical packing list! The comments are amazing.
The Best Crime Novels of 2023. (CrimeReads)
Why Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” Is Finally No. 1 on the Billboard Charts. (Slate) This story is WILD. “Here’s the craziest footnote of all: Lee is the Hot 100’s first-ever septuagenarian chart-topper, but with a song she recorded at age 13.”
One of our teenagers uses our Artist’s Academy Premium Membership to hone her drawing skills. They’re running a holiday deal: right now get a year for just $.99 (normally $69), which unlocks premium instructional drawing and painting videos, techniques, and expert (but novice-friendly) tips.
61 Christmas Breakfast & Brunch Ideas That Won’t Totally Spoil Dinner. (Bon Appétit) Many of these would be great year-round.
What I’ve been reading lately: the new and the notable. (MMD) SO MUCH VARIETY in just 1500ish pages.
The friendship problem. (What Do We Do Now That We’re Here Substack) “Our lives are bereft of ways to see people in the low-effort, regular, and repeating ways our brains were designed to connect through.”
Lauren Groff Opening The Lynx in Gainesville, Fla., Next Year. (Shelf Awareness)
It’s candle season! These Woodwick candles are a favorite for this time of year: I love the scent AND the crackle. (Don’t miss our this post with favorite candle brands and scents for a cozy season.)
Remember What Spotify Did to the Music Industry? Books Are Next. (NYT gift link) “A tech platform should not be allowed to use its market power to steadily decrease payments to content creators, to sell user data and to price-gouge advertisers. Those are problems that go beyond Spotify.”
25 puzzles to add to your stash for year-round delight. (MMD) Favorite puzzles to give as gifts or stock your games cabinet. (Psst—the puzzle in yesterday’s Instagram post is included here: it’s part of the Michael Storrings Christmas in the City series.)
Need more context on Israel and Palestine? Check out one of these books. (WBUR Here & Now) WSIRN alum and host of The Stacks podcast Traci Thomas shares her recommendations.
My Quest to Downsize Without Throwing Anything Away. (New York Magazine) This is truly impressive. The author writes about his goal to engineer a landfill-free move: “That notion wound up becoming a six-month obsession — and opening my eyes to just how huge and friendly the secondhand economy has become.”
Best of Book Club Sweepstakes. (Simon & Schuster) We’re partnering with Simon and Schuster for a fabulous book club-themed giveaway: one grand prize winner will receive bookish goodies to share with their favorite readers! (US only.)
Don’t miss these posts:
16 short books to knock out your reading challenge. Who needs this?
14 feel-good shows and movies for book lovers. Movies and television shows with a literary touch!
A literary tradition like no other. All about our family’s Christmas literary tradition inspired by the Icelandic Jólabókaflóðið.
Have a great weekend!
5 comments
I’m gifting my mom a quarterly membership to the MMD book club and I know she’s going to have a lot of questions about it! Main one – are the picks for each quarter announced in a public forum (like here!), so she can decide in advance if she wants to join for that quarter or wait, or does she need to activate her membership to see the picks?
I’m not Anne, but I am part of her book club! Sometimes Anne talks about book club selections on her blog, but if you want to know for sure what the book club is reading, activate the membership. Anne will be announcing the March and April selections on January 4th via a zoom meeting. They are a lot of fun. Even if your mom decides not to read the book, the discussion questions are broad enough that she could still participate in them if she wanted to. Also, many other activities happen there that are not tied to what we’re reading this month, and she has access to ALL the content on the site, like previous author chats, book unboxings, and classes. It’s an amazing community!
Happy Weekend, Anne and team! Thanks for sharing that NY Magazine article about downsizing/clutter reduction. I am mid-move and married to a semi-hoarder. I loved all the organizations that the author linked to towards reaching a no-landfill transition. Especially loved the Renovation Angel group who uninstall kitchens to re-sell in a showroom –brilliant. I love local neighbors talking about how they can use somebody’s ancient, used something and the reasons they’re hooked on Facebook Marketplace. Interesting that the FREE Garage Sale brought so many skeptics! Cup of Jo had a posting this year about kids’ lemonade stands and the pricing therein. Most commenters said they received more in ‘tips’ when their kids sold drinks with Name Your Price/Give What You Can pricing. And often just closed the stand once they reached their goal.
Thanks for the Christmas breakfast recipe link!!! I was just starting to think about what I need at the store this weekend for breakfast!
I loved the article about the landfill-free move but am bewildered by the idea that he completely replaced his kitchen to make the house marketable. I can see some updates, but a whole new kitchen feels a bit intense for a house you’re leaving!