What are you up to this weekend? I’m planning on catching my breath a little bit after a very busy week of everything Summer Reading Guide. I am looking forward to going on long walks with friends, heading out for trivia night (I haven’t done that in ten+ years), and spending an hour or two cleaning up the books in my office (seriously). Plus I’m planning on enjoying some leisurely reading time.
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 is here!
Our thirteenth annual Summer Reading Guide is now available! (I hear that’s what many of you are up to this weekend—going through the Guide, digging into some of the 16 titles already published, and putting in those library holds!)
Get your copy now, plus our Unboxing video that walks you through each of the Guide’s 42 new-for-2024 titles in more detail. The Guide stands alone, but Unboxing is where I add more juicy details for those who appreciate that kind of thing. This year’s Guide has a summer camp theme which is SO FUN, plus we packed in lots of backlist and extra features for your maximal summer reading enjoyment.
There are three ways to get your copy of the 2024 MMD Summer Reading Guide:
- Purchase the Guide and Unboxing access a la carte
- Join our MMD Book Club community
- Support our What Should I Read Next Patreon
Not sure which community to join, or if you’d rather choose a la carte access? We walk you through the options at our SRG online hub.
The 2024 Minimalist Summer Reading Guide published yesterday as well. This is another annual tradition; we’ve been publishing a Minimalist Guide since 2014. This year’s Minimalist Guide has 8 great titles—my very favorite summer reads (so far)—and it’s completely free and available to all as an MMD blog post.
My favorite finds from around the web:
In His New Novel, Colm Tóibín Goes Home Again. (Kirkus Reviews) Great interview.
There is something restful about being a beginner. (News from Deanna Raybourn) “You don’t study French so much as you flirt with it.” Beautiful, relatable reflections on learning French and embracing the beginner’s mindset.
Summer Reading Guide 2024: We’re going to Book Camp! (What Should I Read Next) MMD Book Club Community Manager Ginger Horton and I talk all things summer reading in this week’s new WSIRN episode: the categories, philosophy, themes that kept popping up, special features, and a title or two from our 2024 selections. Plus we talk about how we brought our “summer camp” theme to life for this year’s gorgeous new edition.
I’ve been making do with attractive but uncomfortable summer wedges for years and finally bought a pair of espadrille wedge sandals that actually fit. What an improvement!
Deciphering Your Daughter’s “MOM” Texts. (McSweeney’s) Cracking up!
I Don’t Write Like Alice Munro, but I Want to Live Like Her. (New York Times gift link) “She was also an example of how a writer should be in public: modest, unpretentious, funny, generous and kind. I learned the lesson of generosity from her early. When I was 20 and was just starting to publish short stories, I sent her a fan letter….”
Everything You Need to Host a Cookbook Club. (Bon Appétit) This sounds amazing.
Siân Heder to Adapt Bestseller ‘Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.’ I loved this book (from the 2022 Minimalist Summer Reading Guide!)—happy to hear it’s coming to the big screen.
What I’ve been reading lately: the new and the notable. (MMD) This month’s short and sweet book reviews include backlist, audiobook re-reads, and a handful of books I thought might be in the Summer Reading Guide but didn’t end up including.
Do you remember Will’s Parisian café chair obsession? Welll look what you can now get from Target!
I Was Taught to Hate My Freckles. I Decided to Love Them Instead. (Harper’s Bazaar) “The message was clear: To have freckles was to be imperfect. To be imperfect was to be ugly. To be ugly was the worst thing that could happen to a girl, a woman.”
Not Lost in a Book. (Slate) This article gets into why tween reading is way down. “Traditionally, middle-grade book discovery happens via parents, librarians, and—most crucially—peers. At recess, your best friend tells you that you have got to read the Baby-Sitters Club, and boom, you’re hooked. That avenue for discovery evaporated during the pandemic, and it hasn’t come back.”
Old Navy’s adorable Fit & Flare Cami Mini Dress is just $25 this week after discount. It’s very much like their Fit & Flare Sleeveless Midi Dress I shared in Links earlier this month. I wore the Red Floral print (more like a burnt orange, really) last week and got so many compliments. (I’m a Medium.)
The 35 Best Foods You Can Buy at Aldi, According to a Superfan. (The Kitchn)
Inside libraries’ battle for better e-book access. (Axios) This is still a big issue.
Don’t miss these posts:
15 backlist books that feel like summer. These backlist selections hold big summer reading vibes!
20 interesting recipes to make for dinner with boneless skinless chicken breasts. In case you’re in need of dinner inspiration.
15 re-readable middle grade novels that adults will love, too. The comments are a treasure trove!
Have a great weekend!
9 comments
OMG! I was delighted to see Alice Munro (hers are my very favorite short stories) mentioned in your intro, Anne, and then…I read “she was” and my heart broke a little. I hadn’t heard she died this week! I know she was old but I was always hoping there would someday be new stories even though her most recent collection was meant to be her last. She was an amazing lady and this made me shed a tear. I highly recommend her books but also her interviews- so witty and full of charm. She will be missed. 🩷
Wow that article about kids and reading was interesting. I thought for sure there would be a connection with phones and kids. But it’s actually a mystery why kids like some books and not others. I do think from my own experience trying to find good books for my 8.5 year old that there is just alot of junk out there. And reading the equivalent of candy will not increase the appetite for more good books. I love a good book list and the library request system, and that finding old favorites is still easy to do.
I think phones definitely have a roll to play, there are unfortunately 8-10 year olds who have a phone and tiktok (my daughter’s classmates over the last two years) and they seem to have zero interest in books.Tweens should not be on social media at all.
The article on tween reading is very interesting. My son is 8, so just about to hit this point, and I’m very invested in keeping him reading.
In case you didn’t receive my “thank you!” email for the 2024 Summer Reading Guide:
Anne and each member of the MMD staff: Thank you, thank you for the exceptional Reading Guide! I’ve appreciated each Guide, watching with delight at the ongoing “improvements” each year. This year I immediately logged into my library’s “hold” list and added 50 books! 50! A record high! This literary masterpiece could only be accomplished by your creativity, time, energy, and willingness to collaborate successfully, appreciating what each person brings to the table. Thank you for this unique gift to all your readers.
I found the article on tween reading interesting with two boys about to turn 10 and 13 who are voracious readers. I find myself asking “What should *they* read next?” far more often than “What should I read next?” since the MMD team does such a good job of keeping my TBR constantly refreshed! I’m sure I’m not the only parent wondering who the Anne Bogel of middle grades and young teen fiction is!
Ah, the “Anne Bogel” for your readers SHOULD be their school librarian! Unfortunately they are being let go in alarmingly high numbers. I just read a news story yesterday that the county near me is removing all its remaining librarians. The county where I reside long ago did so. I’m a retired school librarian and this makes me both sad and angry. I worked so hard to find “the right book” for all my young readers. It was one of my very favorite parts of my job! A child doesn’t hate to read. He or she just hasn’t yet found the right book!
Parents, please take the time to support youth librarians if you still have them! Don’t wait until they are about to be axed before you speak up.
The article on tween reading is so interesting! Once my kids hit about 10 years old, overly illustrated books just aren’t appealing. They long for deeper reading than graphic novels they devour in a day, yet struggle to find books that are appealing and not so dumbed down or immature. I’m so thankful our librarians are so diverse in age, culture and interests and are always ready with a lesser-known recommendation!
Just bought three dresses from your Old Navy link 😂😂😂they are having a great deal today—thanks for sharing!!!
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