How is your weekend shaping up? It’s a snow day here in Louisville (I’m hoping I can still make it out for Friday planning coffee), and tonight temps are plunging to the low single-digits, so here at home we’re talking about lighting the fire for the first time this season and starting a new puzzle. (Maybe a new show or movie—any recs?)
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.
Spring Book Preview is almost here!
Spring Book Preview is less than a week away! Join us to hear about 42 noteworthy titles publishing between January 1 and mid-April. Pre-order your ticket, or get it as a free perk of one of our member communities. Your membership gets you all sorts of bookish goodness—and sustains our work for the long haul.
My favorite finds from around the web:
Susie Boyt: ‘I found Noel Streatfeild in the phone directory and rang her up’. (The Guardian) I recently read Boyt’s Loved and Missed and haven’t stopped thinking about it.
What I’ve been reading lately: the new and the notable. (MMD) Some truly remarkable 2023 titles (including Loved and Missed), plus books I’ve been meaning to read from 2016 and 1967.
In Ayo Edebiri, A New Fashion Girly Is Born. (Elle) “To be frank, there are few dressers quite as exciting as Edebiri right now.” I LOVED her looks from the Emmys and Golden Globes and this roundup is everything I wanted. And speaking of Ayo: Will and I adored The Bear: what should we watch next?
The beauty subscription box Birchbox has a great deal right now: Get your first BirchBox as low as $5! Use code CACTUS5 to take $15 off a monthly, 3-month or 12-month subscription. For first-time members only.
Do You Have ‘Bookshelf Wealth’? (New York Times gift link) “If you’ve ever seen a Nancy Meyers movie, the look might ring a bell.”
9 Whipped Coffees From Around The World You Should Know. (TastingTable) Trying all of these could be a good winter project.
Join me on January 29 at Parnassus Books for a discussion with author Laurie Frankel in honor of her new book Family Family. This is a free event but registration is required.
It only took 11 people to build this Lego-like apartment complex in Florida. (Fast Company) Impressive!
Reading on a budget and thriving. (What Should I Read Next?) In our new episode I advise a reader on how to not only make peace but find empowerment in her zero-dollar book budget. There are also great tips in the comments section.
Our team is on the record as fans of Ann Taylor Loft’s sparkly and embellished sweaters. This Sequin Raglan Sweater still has a few sizes available at a fantastic price, and this Pearlized Cable Sweater is darling.
All About a Book Party. (Reading & Eating) Wouldn’t you love to crash this particular book launch party? I found reading all the food and beverage details to be the next best thing. (Psst—Ada Calhoun’s Also a Poet is our April Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club selection!)
38 Satisfying Soups and Stews You Can Make In the Slow Cooker. (Southern Living) ‘Tis the season!
Meet the Canada Reads 2024 contenders. (CBC) I always love to see what they pick.
German Man Breaks Record For World’s Fastest Time To Drink A Cup Of Coffee. “It is, admittedly, a pretty silly record, but in no way the silliest of all the Guinness Book coffee records.” (I just got up to reheat my coffee because I was drinking it so slowly it had grown cold!)
Against Counting the Books You Read. (The Atlantic gift link) What works for me may not work for you—but I’ll invite you to join me in focusing more on what and how you read, instead of how much.”
Don’t miss these posts:
12 novels that play with the concept of time. The sky is the limit when it comes to our imagination around time!
5 favorite recipes for soup season. Soup is a go-to for our family on those chilly, busy nights!
65 recommended reads for those traveling to England (or who want to!) For when you need armchair literary tourism.
Have a good weekend!
25 comments
If you don’t mind some violence and blood, I highly recommend Fargo season five on Hulu with John Hamm and Juno Temple. It was riveting.
I also spent this snowy week reading The Frozen River, which was fabulous.
I loved season 5 of Fargo! Juno Temple’s acting was tremendous. So different than her role in Ted Lasso. My favorite season, and they’ve all been great, each of which can be watched on its own.
We’ve been enjoying Fargo as well. Recording it on FX here in Canada, and watching it later. Great characters – heroes and villains and in-between – and enough plot to keep me interested. And the winter scenery – filmed in my part of the world 🙂 Looking forward to watching the season finale tonight! But I agree about the violence; not for everyone. (Trigger warning for domestic violence this season.)
TV show recommendation! The Artful Dodger is a fun sequel to Oliver Twist with a spunky heroine, swashbuckling adventures, and interesting relationships. It’s set in Australia — the costumes and sets are a delight. I loved it and/but Jack Dawkins, aka, Dodge is now a surgeon, and the creators wanted to show us EVERY incision. The surgery scenes are pretty graphic. I closed my eyes for them and thoroughly enjoyed the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wncFZx-gfN8
You can stream it on Hulu.
I’m down the road in Lexington and we are enjoying a snow day as well. Great variety of links today!
I just added Denison Avenue (from the Canada Reads list) to my library holds. It is obviously quite popular here in Toronto but I look forward to reading it when my turn comes.
A snowy weekend sounds lovely (says the reader in sunny SoCal). Have you seen Last Holiday with Queen Latifah? It’s one of my favorite winter movies.
I also adored The Bear. Deserved all of those Emmy awards, and more. I want to work at that restaurant.
“Julia” (recent TV series) looks appealing to me as a follow-up. But then I’m old enough to remember Julia Child, haha. Not old enough to have watched her cooking show, just old enough to remember her. I think the trailer looks good. A Max Original. Streams on Crave up here in Canada.
I also have zero budget for book buying. In my case, I read too fast. A new book won’t even last me a day. I picked up the habit of speed reading in childhood. Alas, it’s no help on college textbooks (have to slow way down to absorb all the information).
I lean on our public library (five block walk away), the resident library in my building, book exchanges and paperback exchanges. Everything comes my way eventually.
If you have the app Libby and your library participates, you may want to check it out.
I had two favorite shows last year: The Bear and Reservation Dogs (Both on Hulu). I don’t watch much television, so I am incredibly picky about the shows I watch. Reservation Dogs is the story of a group of indigenous teens who live on a reservation in rural Oklahoma . They are mourning the death of one of their best friends, and trying to navigate their path forward as they make decisions about what to do as they finish high school. Like The Bear, Reservation Dogs is both hilarious and occasionally heartbreaking. The show does not limit its focus only on the teenage protagonists, and we are gifted at a look at the lives of the parents and grandparents in their community as well. This show is utterly original, and completely captivating. Creators Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi have allowed Indigenous writers and directors to tell this story, and gives viewers an unprecedented view into Native American life.
Rye Lane is a terrific (and short) rom-com movie on Hulu.
On Netflix – The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. It is a short film based on the Roald Dahl story. Stars Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by Wes Anderson so kind of quirky
Operation Mincemeat- really good except for one scene that I felt wasn’t needed
Documentaries- Keep Sweet and Murder Among Mormons. I knew some of the first story, I don’t remember hearing anything about the second
Disney – Bluey: our whole family (mom, dad, college and high school students) likes it and they just released new episodes last week.
We’ve also watched Moon Knight and both seasons of Loki multiple times
Looking for something fun and kind of light? The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin starring Roddy McDowall, Suzanne Pleshette and Karl Malden. Also try Blackbeard’s Ghost with Peter Ustinov and a ton of others
Watch Women Talking. Brilliant, powerful movie from an equally brilliant and powerful book.
Hi Anne!
I loved The Diplomat on Netflix! It stars Keri Russell as a newly appointed Ambassador to England. She knocks it out of the park. Smart, funny, twisty.
Hi Sandy,
I loved The Diplomat too. Keri Russell is so good. She was interviewed on Fresh Air podcast last year and talked about that show and her career which began in her teens on Mickey Mouse Club I think. SHe was also fantastic in The Americans. What a treasure she is!
I recently rewatched The Diplomat keeping my eye out for the big twist at the end. Can’t wait for season two!
I love a good puzzle in the winter. Do you have any “go-to brands” or puzzle recommendations?
My family loves White Mountain Puzzles, specifically the collage style (Cereal Boxes, Play Bills, Binge Watching, The 1980’s, Pop Culture). Really fun to put together. You can find on Amazon or https://www.whitemountainpuzzles.com/
Nyad on Netflix
Just finished watching Trying on Apple TV. Was a ‘if you like Ted Lasso’ recommendation and really enjoyed it.
Oh, I can’t shout hurrah loud enough for the idea of not counting our books read. If that’s your jam, great, but I can’t say that I will ever understand.
Thank you for sharing Emma Sarappo’s essay in the Atlantic. She captured perfectly my thoughts about the complexity of reading, and the notion that a mere ‘binding’ count is really meaningful. I’m not so sure about page count either – but maybe I’m just not a counter upper by nature. 😉
Have you watched Reservation Dogs? I finally watched the last season. It is so good! It’s one of those that I miss so much now that I’m done. I just started Righteous Gemstones to get my mind off Reservation Dogs.
Love that you included the Canada Reads list!
Drops of God. Apple TV+
Outstanding!!!