What are you up to this weekend? These next few days are shaping up to be our busiest of the whole fall: all the kids are home, friends are coming to town, we’ve got book events to attend and shows to see and football to watch and … I’m competing in an athletic event for the first time in twenty-something years. (What in the world? I’m excited and terrified.)
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 bookmarking service.
The (Half) Stars Have Aligned. (Goodreads) “In less than two days after the launch of half and quarter stars, the Goodreads community added 3.5 million book ratings across the site. The top four most used new star ratings so far are, in order: 3.5, 4.5, 3.75, and 4.25.”
18 novels about librarians. (MMD) “I suspect this interest springs from a heady mix of nostalgia, idealism, and pure nosiness about other people’s jobs.”
In Fall Book Preview news: USPS warns of Indianapolis, Louisville delays due to facility upgrades. (Supply Chain Dive) Fall Book Preview lookbook delivery via first class mail has been noticeably slower this year; mail in general is slower this year but this piece explains how my region has been particularly affected. (Sigh.)
Revisiting Childhood Hobbies Is a Way to Learn Who You Are as an Adult. (Time) “Revisiting childhood activities, in particular, can feel like a chance to reclaim part of your own story.”
Save the good stuff: Advent calendars for all seasons. (MMD) Simple and brilliant: team member Ginger shares why you don’t have to open Advent calendars during Advent.
On that note: this 12 Days of Puzzles holiday countdown I’ve enjoyed in the past is on sale right now.
2026 National Book Award Finalists announced. (Publishers Weekly)
The Quest to Save Rural Pay Phones, 52 Calls at a Time. (Wall Street Journal gift link) “Driven by nostalgia—and maybe the apocalypse—an army of ‘phone spotters’ is racing against the clock to rescue the U.K.’s remote red boxes.”
Team’s favorite banned books with Brigid, Holly, Leigh, and Shannan. (What Should I Read Next? patreon) A terrific conversation with our team members.
10 bestselling books that never made it to TV or film – and why. (Books and Bits) The Secret History, The Night Circus, Middlesex, and more.
We accidentally ended up with two pounds of broccoli florets this week, so I made Smitten Kitchen’s broccoli cheddar soup for dinner. It was a hit! I’ll definitely make this again during soup season.
Canadian Poet Anne Carson Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature. (New York Times gift link) “Carson’s palatable, popular, sophisticated and who-cares approach may have done the most and best work in the last two decades to stop people worrying so much about what’s poetry and what’s not.”
Ginger’s favorite cozy slippers are on big sale right now. (Will and I have given many such pairs as gifts.)
61 Regency-Inspired Runway Looks in Honor of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. (Vogue) “What’s appealing about Regency style now is that it accommodates the natural body. Austen’s women might have worn corsets, but they weren’t tightly laced, and no crinolines or panniers prevented them from getting through doors or walking on heaths.”
Books that just WORK for me. (What Should I Read Next?) Seeking books with interesting structures.
I love a short-sleeved sweater like this one when the calendar says “fall” but the temperature isn’t quite there yet. I haven’t worn this floral counterpart but isn’t it gorgeous? (Both XS–XL.)
Librarians on Libraries. (New York Times gift link) “These librarians want you to know that they don’t sit around reading all day. They want you to know about book bans and budget cuts, but also about career counseling and crafting groups and pop-up medical clinics.”
Don’t miss these posts:
12 classics on audiobook. A tried-and-true method for reading classics.
What are your chilly weather go-to meals? The comments are a goldmine of meal inspiration!
12 intriguing novels featuring amateur sleuths. Solve a mystery alongside these amateur sleuths for a vicarious thrill.
20 banned books I find myself recommending all the time.
Have a great weekend!
4 comments
What’s the athletic event?? Did I miss that detail somewhere?? Whatever it is, good luck and have fun!!
Walmart has an adorable embroidered sweater. Yes, embroidered. Reasonably priced of course.
Is it a regatta? Good for you! I can’t wait to hear about it. I did a learn-to-row class this summer and have continued practicing into the fall but have not done any races. I find rowing completely terrifying and way, way outside my comfort zone (I’m terrified of utter humiliation and making the others in the boat and the coaches hate me because I am pretty uncoordinated and I think on the much slower end of picking it up – I have never been athletically talented in the least and was the kid who was always picked last for teams in PE unless someone else was in a cast!), and I feel overwhelmed by all the new lingo, the adjustments, the rules for EVERYTHING, and the intense concentration required for EVERY SINGLE STROKE, but at the same time I love being on the water, I feel great after rowing, it’s exhilarating, I know I am have come a long way from two months ago, and it’s excellent distraction from other life stress, because I can’t think of anything else when I am thinking, “Arms, body, legs, row” over and over (plus feather at the right time, reach further to the catch, don’t rush the recovery, and about a zillion other instructions). It’s also giving me more empathy for other situations in which someone might feel completely new and be struggling. I was so excited to read you started rowing, too, and am so eager to hear more about your experience. As a longtime reader, I so wish we were in the same club so we could compare notes! Good luck to you!
The Goodreads half-stars launch might be my favorite internet news of the month — I can practically feel millions of past ratings being revised as we speak. And the Anne Carson Nobel news made my whole morning. That Time piece on revisiting childhood hobbies has been sitting open in a tab all week, which feels like a sign I should finally dig out my old watercolor set.