What are you up to this weekend? I’m excited for a regular Friday pizza night after being away for spring break, plus a visit with my college daughter this weekend.
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 state 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 bookmarking service.
Can a Journalist Be a Celebrity Anymore? (New York Times gift link) “He was evolving into his current form, which comes with a mythology. Even people who know Keefe well sometimes idealize him as a swashbuckling detective, solving crimes on a grand scale.” Fantastic profile of Patrick Radden Keefe.
Calling all L.M. Montgomery fans! In this week’s episode of What Should I Read Next, I talk with Kate Scarth who is the Chair of L.M. Montgomery Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island, partnered with the L.M. Montgomery Institute, and was a part of the advisory committee for the Green Gables interpretive center. We talk about Montgomery’s life and work, some of Kate’s favorite Montgomery retellings and homages, and more.
I Found It: The Best Free Restaurant Bread in America. (The Atlantic gift link) The best thing I read on the internet this week? “No one outside the food industry ever tells me they’d prefer paying for excellent bread to receiving mediocre bread for free. Most people just want to be given bread they have not paid for. That bread being good constitutes a rare and wonderful possibility—certainly not an expectation. Nothing tastes as good as free costs.”
What Are the Routines of So-Called Super-Readers? (Literary Hub) “What strikes me is not just the scale, but the steadiness. That total wasn’t built on epic reading binges or monastic retreats. It was built book by book, checkout by checkout—an accumulation of ordinary moments spent turning pages.”
Everything at Boden is 25% off through the weekend. I noticed they’ve restocked sizes in many spring favorites, including the striped swimsuit I shared in March that sold out in a flash.
2026 Survey results are here! (MMD) How many of us read 200+ books per year? We’ve got that answer, and more besides!
At Amsterdam Airport, Maarten Baas has created a human clock. (Domus) I’m so bummed I was just there and totally missed this brand new installation! Presumably because I was desperately searching for a bathroom, sigh.
Tayari Jones is on the 2026 TIME100 list. (TIME) We love to see it. “A daughter of Atlanta and a writer of the world, Tayari Jones has blazed her own path through American fiction. Her sensitive coming-of-age stories bloom into rich landscapes of Black women’s interior lives.” (Thanks to Nancy for sending this my way!)
Our Favorite Indoor Gardens. (NYT Style Magazine gift link) Such beautiful and soothing photos! SWOON.
The importance of farting around. (The Leap) Kurt Vonnegut on AI, deep thinking, and what it means to be human. “Built into human beings is a need, which nobody bothers to even acknowledge, to do something useful. But instead of worrying about what human beings need, we worry about what machines need. There’s no talk at all about what human beings are deprived of; all the talk is about what industries are being deprived of.”
The Top 10 US Cities for Coffee, According to the Experts. (Food & Wine) “Beyond the usual big-city players, small cities and towns across the country have seen a rise in thoughtful coffee roasters and shops.” Intriguing—though I’ve only been to one of the specific shops mentioned. (That would be Chicago’s Intelligentsia.)
What I’ve been reading lately: the new and the notable. (MMD) My reading life was overwhelmingly occupied in this month’s Quick Lit window by potential 2026 Summer Reading Guide selections but I’m happy with the variety of my non-SRG reading.
Black Book Festivals. (Sisters from AARP) “Are you into books? Then book festivals are where you want to be in 2026. They’re the perfect place to meet your favorite authors, connect with fellow literary enthusiasts, and discuss the books you love—while also discovering new titles, writers, book clubs, and more.” So many of these are new to me.
An Ode to Cherry Blossom Season, As Captured by 11 Photographers. (Vogue)
Don’t miss these posts:
World War II novels that are worth your time. For readers who can’t get enough of World War II fiction.
10 comforting classics to read after you run out of Jane Austen novels. When I crave a classic after reading tons of new releases, Austen is my go-to. Here’s what to read when you’ve run out of Austen novels to devour.
Fly away with these 9 books about birds. This niche topic is owl-some.
Have a great weekend!
