Links I love

What are you up to this weekend? Around here, we’re bracing ourselves for the coming heat wave. I hope to get in a few long walks in the very early morning and lots of reading time in the air-conditioned afternoons. And hopefully make some headway on a few house projects.

I hope you have something to look forward to these next few days, 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:

I offer gift links for articles whenever possible (you may still need to create an account with the publication); if there’s no gift link and you’re not a subscriber, check to see if your library carries the publication or use a service like Pocket.

How Dreamy Is Barbara Kingsolver’s Appalachian Garden? (Big Salad) So dreamy.

Diving into evocative ocean reads. (What Should I Read Next?) This reader request felt like summer, and my answer includes a pile of fiction and nonfiction books where the ocean plays a prominent role.

You Can’t Scare Me Into Silence. (The Preamble) “Shooting political leaders in cold blood, whether it’s based on left-wing ideological purity or the grievance politics of religious white men, is meant to send a clear message… It’s intended to make people feel as though their efforts – the small candle of light they seemingly possess – will never be enough to overcome the vast wilderness of darkness that surrounds them, leaving them with no choice but to succumb to it.”

When the world feels like too much, read these gentle books. (Life With Books) I love the mix of new and very old here.

Why Is Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s Wardrobe So Hard To Recreate? (Vogue) “CBK should have been one of the easiest to get right…. She’s also one of the most studied figures in recent pop culture, with entire books and Instagram accounts dedicated to decoding her style. And perhaps most baffling of all: most of her original pieces still exist for prospective wardrobe departments to reference, recreate and even reuse.”

Fans Swear by the Deli-Style Sandwiches at These Grocery Stores. (Food & Wine) Did your favorite make the list?

The Portland Bar That Screens Only Women’s Sports. (The New Yorker) This is such a fun little piece. It makes me want to go visit, and also to turn on the WNBA.

Are you living two hours in the future? (The Imperfectionist) “The answer definitely isn’t to beat yourself up for not yet having perfectly mastered the art of being present. (That, you might notice, is just another version of the same mistake.) But you can remind yourself to unclench a bit, to soften, to fall back into what’s really going on, here and now, and to see there’s no reason why you can’t find this very experience juicy and alive.”

What I’ve been reading lately: the new and the notable. (MMD) I love to offer up an eclectic collection of recent reads in Quick Lit and this roundup delivers on that score.

This Sheet-Pan Coconut Shrimp and Sweet Potatoes (NYT Cooking gift link) slays, per my teenagers this week. (I only had half the recommended sweet potatoes on hand so supplemented with petite yukon golds and green beans, which worked great.)

The Entire Internet Is Reverting to Beta. (The Atlantic gift link) “Silicon Valley is betting the future of the web on technology that can unexpectedly go off the rails, melt down at the simplest tasks, and be misused with alarmingly little friction.”

The New Must-Have It Bag? A Tote That Holds a Book (and Little Else). (Elle) Literary tote bags are in the zeitgeist, although my personal preference is for a large book tote (MMD).

Pop Culture Takes Up Smoking Again. (New York Times gift link) I mused to Will recently that smoking was poised for a comeback, and three days later he sent me this NYT piece. “The overwhelming sentiment is: Sure, cigarettes are bad for you, but they make you look good.” (I’ve never smoked a single thing in all my life, but since high school I’ve joked that I would make an excellent smoker: do I want to go outside on a regular cadence to take a break from my day and stare at the clouds? Minus the cigarette, you bet I do.)

Fashion’s Embroidery Renaissance Is Stitching Fresh Life Into a Centuries-Old Art Form. (Marie Claire) Gorgeous! I love seeing all the different techniques.

The Creative Power of Walking. (Literary Hub) “My rules: No news, no social media, no podcasts, no music. No “teleporting,” you could say. The phone, the great teleportation device, the great murderer of boredom. And yet, boredom: the great engine of creativity. I now believe with all my heart that it’s only in the crushing silences of boredom—without all that black-mirror dopamine — that you can access your deepest creative wells.”

Don’t miss these posts:

Unputdownable: MORE books I read in 24 hours or less. Once you start, you won’t be able to stop reading until you’re done.

17 sparkling and suspenseful novels set on the stage or the screen. Looking for the perfect drama to sweep you away?

12 middle grade novels that unfold over summer break. A stack of attention-grabbing and emotionally resonant middle grade novels, perfect for summer break or any time of year!

10 nonfiction books that read like novels to enjoy on the beach (or in your backyard) this summer.

Have a great weekend!