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How are you feeling as we turn the corner into June? I\u2019m thrilled that school\u2019s out for summer, the college kids are home, and the weekend ahead has a nice balance of plans and plans to do nothing. (Plus I\u2019m in the middle of a good book and you know that never hurts!) <\/p>\n
I hope you have something to look forward to this weekend, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.<\/p>\n
All our Summer Reading Guide print orders and merch orders are en route to your mailboxes! If you haven\u2019t placed yours yet, Will Bogel would like nothing better than to send the goods your way this weekend. Place your order for our print Guide or any of our bookish goods right here<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n By popular request I posted pics of me wearing our bookstore tour concert tee<\/a><\/strong> in these photos right here<\/a><\/strong> if you want to check it out! And sorry to make you scroll but I\u2019m wearing our Well Read hat<\/a><\/strong> at the end of this video.<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n I offer gift links for articles whenever possible (you may still need to create an account with the publication); if there\u2019s no gift link and you\u2019re not a subscriber, check to see if your library carries the publication or use a service like Pocket.<\/em><\/p>\n How to Travel Without a Phone.<\/a><\/strong> (New York Times<\/em> gift link) \u201cRemember in moments of stress: Everyone traveled this way just a few decades ago.\u201d Would you, could you?<\/p>\n Kazuo Ishiguro Reflects on Never Let Me Go<\/em>, 20 Years Later.<\/a><\/strong> (Literary Hub<\/em>) \u201cOne such item now readily accessible was a box file on the shelf to my left marked \u2018Students Novel.\u2019 It contained handwritten notes, spidery diagrams, and some typed pages deriving from two separate attempts I\u2019d made\u2014in 1990, then in 1995\u2014to write the novel that was to become\u00a0Never Let Me Go<\/em>. On each occasion I\u2019d abandoned the project and gone on to write a completely unrelated novel.\u201d<\/p>\n I learned to make a no-recipe dinner akin to this Santa Fe Skillet<\/a><\/strong> (Salt and Lavender<\/em>) at one of my first regular babysitting gigs in high school, but this recipe is even better with its added spices and seasonings. When I have no idea what to make for dinner and the fridge is looking bare, this is likely the answer. (When we already have cooked chicken on hand it comes together even faster.) <\/p>\n How the Most Remote Community in America Gets Its Mail.<\/a><\/strong> (Atlantic<\/em> gift link) \u201cThe mule train, which makes the 16-mile, six-hour loop up and down the canyon five days a week, is perhaps the most extreme manifestation of the USPS mandate to \u2018render postal services to all communities.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Want to cut through small talk? Try asking a \u2018magical question.\u2019<\/a><\/strong> (NPR<\/em>) A great little interview with Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, which I first read five years ago and continue to recommend constantly. <\/p>\n Ten years into my houseplant era I finally got a hygrometer (moisture meter) and it\u2019s been so enlightening to see where my instincts have been on point and where they\u2019ve been a little off (I\u2019m looking at you, Audrey Ficus). I picked mine up at the hardware store but this is an Amazon link<\/a><\/strong> to the one I got. <\/p>\n AI Cheating Is So Out of Hand In America\u2019s Schools That the Blue Books Are Coming Back.<\/a><\/strong> (Gizmodo<\/em>) \u201cCiting data from a number of large public universities, the newspaper notes that bulk purchases of the booklets have grown by leaps and bounds since ChatGPT\u2019s launch in late 2022.\u201d AI complications are all we talk about with our teacher friends, especially those in higher ed.<\/p>\n Speaking of analog: Will and I were out shopping this week and\u2014does everybody know this but me?\u2014I was SHOCKED to see cute little recipe binders<\/a><\/strong> and print recipe cards<\/a><\/strong> in numerous stationery and homeware stores. It appears these are back and I love it. <\/p>\n Run for the Hills<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Kevin Wilson is our June 2025 selection for MMD Book Club<\/a><\/strong> and a Summer Reading Guide minimalist pick<\/a><\/strong>. I\u2019m a long-time fan of Wilson\u2019s work and absolutely thrilled he\u2019ll be joining us.<\/p>\n The 50 Most Iconic Beauty Looks of All Time.<\/a><\/strong> (Harper\u2019s Bazaar<\/em>) \u201cSome hairstyles change lives. Others change the course of history.\u201d<\/p>\n Death, divorce and the magic of kitchen objects: how to find hope in loss.<\/a><\/strong> (The Guardian<\/em>) \u201cThe magic of things is that they can live more than once, passing faithfully through many pairs of hands, gaining different meanings each time. Our most significant kitchen objects can keep us connected with the dead and the absent.\u201d<\/p>\n Hit the road with these 10 road trip romances.<\/a><\/strong> (MMD<\/em>) Inspired by our Summer Reading Guide road trip theme: 10 reads for romance fans in need of a vicarious vacation. <\/p>\n A Nostalgic Flavor Is Making a Resurgence \u2014 Here\u2019s Why You\u2019ll See Creamsicle Everywhere This Summer.<\/a><\/strong> (Food & Wine<\/em>) This was my favorite as a kid; I\u2019m here for this comeback! <\/p>\n Ask me about my pencils.<\/a><\/strong> (MMD<\/em>) Shannan shares about becoming a Blackwing evangelist.<\/p>\n 27 Small-Appliance Safety Rules That Every Kitchen Should Follow.<\/a><\/strong> (Martha Stewart<\/em>) A good refresher. <\/p>\n 15 backlist books that feel like summer.<\/a><\/strong> These backlist selections hold big summer reading vibes!<\/p>\nMy favorite finds from around the web:<\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t miss these posts:<\/h3>\n