What are you up to this weekend? I’m wishing a happy Easter to all who celebrate, and hope this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps you ease into that weekend frame of mind.
My favorite finds from around the web:
This Reader’s Husband and Friend Built Her an Introvert Nook. (Cup of Jo) I want one!
We started making this Moroccan Spiced Chicken over Couscous from Fresh Off the Grid as a camping recipe, but everybody enjoys it so much—and it’s sooo easy—it’s entered the regular weeknight rotation at home. (We like to serve this with green beans, but you do you.)
The Great American Novels. (Atlantic gift link) I enjoyed hearing their thought process behind what counts as an American novel and how they formed the list from there.
How to use your smartphone to photograph the solar eclipse. (Washington Post gift link) Good tips for the eclipse, coming April 8. (Psst—order your eclipse glasses now if you need them! We just got ours.)
12 Poems That Capture the Essence of Spring. (Reactor) Plus we’re days away from the start of National Poetry Month.
A friend gifted us this awesome puzzle board after my mom died and it’s been the best (and most therapeutic) gift.
14 books about walking and hiking. (MMD) I’m blown away by the comments section: so much enthusiasm for these books, and so many wonderful recommendations!
23 Crackers, Chips, Bars, and Snacky Things That Will Truly Satisfy and Delight You. (SELF) YUM.
The Virtue of Slow Writers. (The Millions) “Perhaps most importantly, recognize the value that comes with the passing of time itself.”
Quiet, compelling, and wildly popular novels. (What Should I Read Next) Have readers tired of “quiet” novels? Can a novel be both character-driven and plotty? What does it even mean for a book to be “quiet?” We tackle all this and more (plus offer scads of book recs) in this week’s new episode.
They gather to bake bread each week, then give away thousands of loaves. (Washington Post gift link) What an amazing program.
I’m a sucker for Anthro’s mugs and paper goods, and this new Anthro monogram mug is calling my name. This Monogram Boxed Notecard Set is also gorgeous!
The joy (and nerdery) of a crossword puzzle routine. (MMD) This new installment in our raving fans series is singing my song!
Driving With Mr. Gil: A Retiree Teaches Afghan Women the Rules of the Road. (New York Times gift link) Wonderful story.
The Gigification of Publishing. (The Baffler) “If it works, it will offer a model for tightening the connection between book culture and capitalism, a leap forward for the forces of efficiency and the fantasies of frictionless markets, ushering in a world where literature succeeds if and only if it sells.” An interesting take on the new Authors Equity publishing house.
Don’t miss these posts:
13 time travel novels from (nearly) every genre. There’s a time travel novel for you, no matter your reading taste!
8 great Audible alternatives for audiobook listeners. Many readers want to try audiobooks, but it’s easy to be intimidated by the number of choices we have now.
18 fresh and flirty contemporary romance novels for your TBR. I’m not the only one who turns to romance novels for comfort and escape!
Have a good weekend!
11 comments
Then came the dogwood and the wild crabapple blossoms,
White sails in the soft honey-colored wind of morning
And red sails of the flowering rose bud,
Stationery fire hanging in the soft honey- colored wind of morning
Of evening against the sunset….
The weeping willow, stream willow, and pussy willow
Loosed their long fronds to finger the bright wind tenderly.
Then came soft avalanches of green beech tops
In the deep hollow that hid the May-apple,
Yellowroot, ginseng, wild sweet williams, babytear and phlox.
–Jesse Stuart, from “Kentucky is my Land”
LOVE this!!! Thank you so much!
I read Links I Love every Friday but this week was so inspiring – the stories about community bread making and Afgan women learning to drive helped me see the good in a very sobering week.
Thank you!
Same–Mr. Gil and his students made my day!
Happy Weekend Anne and MMD team! My Libby app finally delivered a wonderful gift in time for National Poetry Month. It’s the audio ‘documentary’ Wild and Precious: A Celebration of Mary Oliver. I have been a fan of hers but I highly recommend this short book with author readings, fan readings including Samin Nasrat and Ross Gay(!), biography, her Bennington College student stories. It’s like a book of her poetry I want to read again and again.
https://www.audible.com/pd/Wild-and-Precious-Audiobook/B0BWL6JTQG
Great American novel list not including To Kill a Mockingbird? Or did I miss it?
Also before ordering the puzzle board, be sure to read the one star reviews. Yikes!
I have been receiving a Poetry a Day newsletter to expand my enjoyment and understanding of poetry (which was very, very low – I never seemed to have the patience for it.) Each day’s poem is accompanied by the author’s explanation of meaning and/or inspiration, plus a short bio of the author. The sign up link is on the Poets.org website. I find I look forward to the poem each day. Sometimes I have to stop reading the poem, jump to the author’s note, and then go back and read the poem from the beginning. Other times I get the poem before reading the note. It is a truly enjoyable activity, and one I never, ever expected to appreciate.
Happy Easter to all who celebrate. It is such a joyful time of year.
What a wonderful inspiring article about the retiree teaching Afghan women to drive! A small way to really make a difference in some ones life!
Re: The American Novel list
There are certainly some noteworthy titles on this list, as well as many that I’ve never heard of or read (intrigued) and others that surprise me with their inclusion.
I am mystified at how and why they left off To Kill a Mockingbird. That seems to be an extremely glaring error. Other worthy titles that come to mind are The Good Earth by Pearl Buck and Gone With the Wind.
This is why I don’t pay too much attention to these manufactured lists. Taste and editorial agenda vary from reader to reader and critic to critic.
I have a puzzle board from ALL4JIG on Amazon and it has made a huge improvement in my puzzling! Highly recommend this brand.
Where do you make your puzzles? Half of my dining room table has been covered with ours since Christmas. Our family us new to puzzles.
Links I Love + Coffee = Highlight of most of my Friday mornings. 💕 ❤️ I would love it if Team WSIRN or Team MMD dropped a Patreon episode with their takes on the Atlantic article… what should have been included in the list? What was unfairly excluded? You get the idea!