a lifestyle blog for book lovers

Links I love and what’s on my nightstand.

My favorite finds from around the web:

• The best and worst places to grow up: how your area compares. The article changes depending on where you’re reading it from. Fascinating.

See the first White House tour photos taken in more than 40 years. The longstanding ban on photography in the White House—in place for more than 40 years—is being lifted. The First Lady shares why.

The seven stages of not loving an “it” book. I am way too familiar with this process.

That thing that others are shaming you for? Do it anyway. “As I’ve stopped believing lies about myself and starting living under the truth, it’s given me more and more confidence to just be me. To stop worrying about what people would think. To stop caring whether I was going to be criticized. To stop stressing over whether I was going to disappoint someone.”

What I’m reading this week:

Essentialism by Greg McKeown. This is the third time I’ve checked this out from the library and the first time I’m actually reading it.

Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design by Charles Montgomery. Because I’m on an urban planning kick. I’m finding this alternately dry and fascinating.

On the blog:  

The life-changing magic of tidying up, for kids. Our best tips, tricks, and adaptations for putting this system to work for a family of six.

I took my eight-year-old to the tattoo parlor and here’s how it went. For all you parents who think you may have a piercing in your future, I hope this is helpful as you decide what to do, and where to go.

13 things I’ve learned in 30 months of Stitch Fix (a/k/a my best Stitch Fix tips). This one is going gangbusters from the archives this week.

• Don’t forget to enter the summer reading giveaway.

Have a great weekend!

9 comments

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  1. Okay, I know you warned me about the article changing depending on where you are, but I still kinda flipped out when my own little county showed up on the map. Fascinating, indeed!

  2. liz n. says:

    The seven stages, OMG yes!! Isn’t it so much worse when you really look forward to a book rather than when you read it out of obligation (everyone else has read it, schoolwork, your best friend swore you’d love it, etc.), and you end up with two covers filled with “meh.”

  3. Cassie says:

    I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who checks out the same library book multiple times. I am paranoid that I’ll be stuck without something to read during off hours… the horror!

  4. I’d love to hear why you are on a city-planning kick now. It sounds interesting, but not something that I would typically read about. I did recently finish 100 Days of Real Food (based on a suggestion from an old post of yours) and In Defense of Food. Definitely making me think about my approach to eating!

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