a lifestyle blog for book lovers

Links I love and what’s on my nightstand.

Links I love:

Read aloud books for plucky girls. Love this list.

The labyrinth revival. “A labyrinth is not a maze. There is nothing to be solved, no dead ends meant to entrap the walker. Labyrinths have a clear way in and out. Yet the small amount of concentration required to stay on the path, combined with the repetitive nature of following the pattern, is said to produce a calming effect that can do everything from reduce anxiety to combat chemotherapy-induced nausea.”

20 iconic fashion moments from Jane Austen adaptations. “Although Austen’s novels almost all deal with the themes of self-knowledge, growing up, and the nature of romantic love, she was hardly above loving or thinking about fashion.”

17 behind-the-scenes secrets of bookstores. Some of these were old news, some were heartening, some were brand new.

Ban men from literary readings. “Don’t you see me? I want to yell. Don’t you know a woman my age would never ask a question without having read the &!$!&$! book? But no, the moderator doesn’t seem to know!” I’ve been in readings like this. (Lots of salty language here.)

What’s on my nightstand:

Kate Atkinson’s new book A God in Ruins, just out Tuesday. This covers much of the same ground as Life After Life, from Teddy’s perspective. The concept isn’t as mind-bending as Life After Life, which I enjoyed, but I think this one is even better written.

On the blog: 

Read a book your mom loves this year. For the 2015 Reading Challenge.

MBTI : strengths :: enneagram : motivations. “Many people say that if the MBTI highlights your strengths, the enneagram unmasks your weaknesses. This isn’t exactly true. (Although once you dive into the enneagram, “motivations” and ‘weaknesses” can sure feel like the same thing.)”

• Walking in circles. From the archives, since I’m sharing a link about labyrinths today.

Have a great weekend!

16 comments

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  1. Danae says:

    I’m embarrassed by how much I enjoyed the Jane Austen fashion article!

    As for bookstores, I usually go with a specific purchase in mind but also browse for inspiration. I like to add titles to my to-read list using the scanner in the Goodreads app…but I still like to purchase the books in-store!!

  2. Kristin says:

    “A God in Ruins” is this month’s pick for NPR Morning Edition’s bookclub. It was selected by Gillian Flynn and at the end of the month both authors will answer listener’s questions about the book. I want to read along with everyone and I’m number one in my library’s holds list…hope it comes in soon!!

    • Sarah R says:

      I’m a total newbie to NPR. Do you know if their bookclub is available on podcast? I’m reading the book and would love to listen to the show.

  3. Hannah says:

    Whoa…that article on banning men from literary readings…How about we just ban people who didn’t read the book in question, instead? Men/women/aliens/dogs, if you didn’t read the book, you may not raise your hand.

  4. Ana says:

    The Ban Men article applies to every type of popular and academic event in which there is Q & A time. Its a real problem.
    Can’t wait ’til library gets the Kate Atkinson.

    • liz n. says:

      “Some booksellers can identify books by their smell.”

      I am going to show the article to my husband, who thinks I am either batty or full of it when I say I can (sometimes) tell which publishing house a book is from by the books’ smell. (Scholastic books smell like baking soda and clean towels.)

  5. Ann says:

    Love your site and have shared it with my daughters and my reading group. Love your new site, but the Kindle finds can be elusive for me to find. Any help for where I’m to look?

  6. Sarah R says:

    I am reading A God In Ruins and I am excited for your review! I loved Life after Life.

    I got SO lucky at the library on Tuesday night. I went in to pick up a book I had on hold (Some Luck by Jane Smiley). Our library has a special section called “Lucky Day Books” that are new releases in hot demand. These books are set aside from the other books that can be put on hold so the only way to check these books out is to actually go to the library. The only catch is the check out period is only 10 days and there are no renewals allowed. There were at least 10 books on my wish list on this table…such a bookworm dilemma! I ended up with A God in Ruins and Better than Before.

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