What are you up to this weekend? I’m looking forward to visiting with one of my college-age daughters and also getting a jump start on holiday baking. Chex mix and spiced nuts and cookie dough, oh my! I also hope to sneak in lots of reading time and get out in the beautiful sunshine … before it rains all next week.
I hope you have something lovely 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.
Quick PSA: We just realized our MMD shop has been undercharging for shipping and often not charging at all. As you can imagine, this is costing us a fortune—and we’ve paused shop orders until we can figure it out. I hope we’ll be back online later today, but in the meantime, if you visit the shop and get the “we’re not taking orders at the moment” message, I wanted you to know what was up. Thanks for your grace and understanding.
Gift ideas for Jane Austen fans:
We refreshed our gift guide for Jane Austen fans. Whether you’re after apparel, games, accessories, or a really beautiful book, we’ve got you covered.
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 bookmarking service.
A Definitive Ranking of L.M. Montgomery Men. (Goodnight, Dear Void) “Montgomery had a knack for writing about love, in all its many forms…. Her heroines don’t just fall in love with men. They fall in love with life, with the world, with themselves in a new light.” I enjoyed every word.
This week I got on Instagram for the first time in forever to participate in Laura Tremaine’s #onedayhh document-your-day tradition. Pop over to check out my day!
A Home That Proves You Can Never Have Too Many Books. (New York Times gift link) 4,500 books in a 1,100-square-foot apartment. The photos are as wonderful and chaotic as you imagine. Half of me wants to move in and the other half wants to run find a wide open space asap!
The Blue Book Burglar. (Atavist) “Over the course of my reporting, I came to believe that the ringleader of these crimes was in a class by himself. I doubt there’s such a thing as the greatest art thief of all time, but I don’t know of any burglar who worked so hard.”
My daughter left a few Le Pen Flex pens lying around and I’ve fallen in love with them—they’re a pleasure to write with and the subtle, flexible brush tip helps my questionable handwriting look pretty. (For your desk, or a stocking stuffer?)
Speaking of stocking stuffers: we’ve brushed up this perennially popular post for 2025. (MMD)
Emma Donoghue on Populating Historical Fiction. (Literary Hub) “I would describe most of my books as fact-based historical fiction. The reason I use that qualifier is that historical fiction also includes novels with a much more po-mo or devil-may-care approach to the recorded past, and that’s fine too—I just prefer to signal to readers that I’m over here on the nerdier end of that spectrum, checking the fine print of indexes, timetables, and, increasingly, databases and genealogy sites.”
Photos: The Northern Lights Put on a Show. (Atlantic gift link) Will and I tried and failed to see the lights here in Kentucky, but golly I loved checking out all the photos! These are amazing.
Sarah Jessica Parker’s Year of Judging the Booker Prize. (New York Times gift link) “Winning the Booker Prize is a life-changing experience for an author. Sales blow up. Demands for interviews pour in. But Parker, who oversees a literary imprint at Zando, said that being a judge was just as life-changing. The process altered her reading habits, she said, made her question how she judged fiction and gave her the confidence to argue for novels she loved.” About SJP but also very much about how the judging process works.
Choosing book gifts your friends will love. (What Should I Read Next?) Why it’s hard, and how to make it easier.
I just repurchased J.Crew’s classic chambray shirt: I wear this as a midweight layer constantly and somehow lost it, leaving it on the back of a coffee shop chair or something like that. You know a piece of clothing is good when you repurchase the exact same one if needed!
Fisher the Bookseller Explains How Bookstores Decide Which Books to Sell. (Counter Craft) “Each independent store is different, with its own ethos about how to stock their books.” On the hidden factors that go into book buying and bookselling.
We Tasted 9 Tortilla Chips — These Are 4 of the Best. (Food & Wine) We’re a Tostito’s family (Hint of Lime but Scoops for nachos) but I’m down for trying All The Chips.
One Nightstand With Mindy Kaling. (Bustle) A fun glimpse into Kaling’s reading and publishing life.
Birdwatching Is Having a Moment – And We Need to Talk About It. (Easy by Nature) “Here’s the truth: The reason birdwatching is stereotyped as ‘for old people’ is because our culture is so dysfunctional it takes most people 50 years or more to figure out what makes for a meaningful life.”
Don’t miss these posts:
20 books to cozy up with this winter. Cold, grey days are the perfect excuse to stay inside and read.
12 histories and biographies for every nonfiction lover. Engaging nonfiction for all kinds of readers, from nature lovers to English majors.
Have a great weekend!
11 comments
I loved the bird-watching essay! I’ve been a “backyard birder” for years. When I lived in apartments, watching birds at my feeder was often my most reliable connection to nature. (One of the strangest sightings I ever had at my feeder was someone’s escaped pet budgie!) For anyone who’s new to bird-watching, I actually just wrote a book for Chronicle Books that’s a great introduction and combines bird-watching tips with mindfulness activities. It’s called BIRD-WATCHING: PRESS PAUSE AND ADMIRE THE AVIAN WORLD and is a part of their Pocket Nature series.
Awesome! Congratulations. Just put it on my Christmas list. Michelle t
Of course Gilbert Blythe is the ultimate Montgomery hero. When things are going badly I often say to myself that I should have married Gilbert Blythe!
I loved the article about L.M. Montgomery men, both for the excellent writing and also for the memories it evoked for me about how I acquired these titles. My family was living in a suburb of Denver and my mother and I would go “downtown” a few times a year for shopping trips. We would always visit a small used bookstore, almost hidden on a side street, where I would look for books by my favorite authors. I had discovered Anne of Green Gables and a few of the sequels at the library, but I longed to locate the other titles, which at the time I believe were out of print. (This was many years ago). It was a wonderful day when I found a new L.M. Montgomery, and I still have those treasures, including Kilmeny of the Orchard, the Emily books, and The Story Girl. Happy memories of special times with my mother who nurtured my love of books
I’ve been a bird watcher since my uncle got me started when I was in in junior high school. My wife and I have been doing the local Christmas Bird Count for the past 15 years. There are so many great books about birding: Amy Tan’s recent “The Backyard Bird Chronicles,” Kenn Kaufman’s “Kingbird Highway,” “Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing” by Lilli Taylor. Lots to enjoy–both outdoors and indoors!
I read “Birding to Change the World” by Trish O’Kane earlier this year. Savoured almost every word – a little too preachy for me in the last chapter or so. It’s the author’s account of how a newly discovered interest in bird-watching gradually changed her life in many areas, including family relationships and career. It made me feel closer to my mother, a lifelong lover of birds, who passed away earlier this year.
I always look forward to your Friday emails and questioned whether the SJP/Booker judging would make the cut! I came across it prior to your list and I was delighted to see you mention it. As a longtime fan of SJP, I was so happy to hear she got to spend a year delving into this project. She seems like such an interesting “star” who jumps on the right opportunities when they present themselves. This article made me envy her in all the right ways!
1. The Gilbert post was a blessing!
2. We are Tostito Rounds people. They are great “naked.”
This was a great listen. Kiley Reid interviewed by Traci Thomas of The Stacks about being a Booker judge. (In conversation with the piece on SjP)
https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/10/24/tsu-52-kiley-reid?rq=Booker%20prize
I was lucky enough to see Emma Donoghue at the Portland Book Festival last weekend and so enjoyed hearing her talk about the process of writing The Paris Express. What a fun adventure she went on with that book. She obviously works very, very hard at her craft, but it was also interesting to hear her talk about her characters as people who unpredictable even to her.
I loved getting an inside look at what it takes to be a Booker judge. Fascinating! Even with a speed finger, I don’t think I could ever get that many books read in a year.
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