\n<\/p>\n
What are you up to this weekend? Around here we\u2019re deeply invested in the College World Series and I\u2019m excited to watch some baseball! I\u2019ve got my snacks planned and everything. I\u2019m also looking forward to drinking lots of coffee, attending a really great dance recital, and hopefully getting in some quality reading time during the forecasted thunderstorms. <\/p>\n
I hope YOU have something good 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.<\/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 Watch the trailer for Netflix\u2019s The Thursday Murder Club<\/a><\/em><\/strong>!<\/em> (YouTube<\/em>) Coming August 28. <\/p>\n And the trailer for The Bear<\/a><\/strong><\/em> Season 4! (YouTube<\/em>) The new season wasn\u2019t on my radar and I was pleasantly surprised to learn it\u2019s arriving soon: June 25! <\/p>\n In Praise of Jane Austen\u2019s Least Beloved Novel.<\/a><\/strong> (The New Yorker<\/em>) \u201c\u2018Northanger Abbey\u2019 is the least beloved of Jane Austen\u2019s six novels. It also appears frequently in university-level literature classes. These two things are related.\u201d<\/p>\n The People Who Clean the Ears of Lincoln (And Other Statues).<\/a><\/strong> (Atlantic<\/em> gift link) Incredible photos. I mean, WOW. <\/p>\n Branching out with escapist, emotionally resonant novels.<\/a><\/strong> (What Should I Read Next?<\/em>) And if some of those novels happen to help Tynisha explore new-to-her sorts of Sci-Fi\/Fantasy, so much the better.<\/p>\n This new-to-us recipe for Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts<\/a><\/strong> (NYT Cooking<\/em> gift link) was delicious and easy for dinner this week.<\/p>\n Diabolus Ex Machina.<\/a><\/strong> (Everything Is A Wave<\/em>) \u201cThe following is a \u2018conversation\u2019 I had with Chat GPT upon asking whether it could help me choose several of my own essays to link in a query letter I intended to send to an agent. What ultimately transpired is the closest thing to a personal episode of Black Mirror I hope to experience in this lifetime.\u201d This is wild and deeply unsettling. It won\u2019t make sense until you get to the end (but it\u2019s a quick read). <\/p>\n R.F. Kuang Is Making Dark Academia Even Darker.<\/a><\/strong> (Kirkus Reviews<\/em>) \u201cSartre said, \u2018Hell is other people.\u2019 In R.F. Kuang\u2019s highly anticipated new novel, Katabasis<\/a><\/em><\/strong> (Bookshop<\/em>), Hell is higher education.\u201d This is on my TBR; pub date is August 26.<\/p>\n Many of our team members frequently show up to team meetings in Old Navy graphic tees. I love this Mixed Fruit design<\/a><\/strong> (XS\u20134X) and I wish this boys\u2019 Stay Driven design<\/a><\/strong> came in my size because it\u2019s PERFECT for our 2025 Summer Reading Guide<\/a><\/strong> road trip theme! (Might the XXL fit me? I might try!) Their great linen-blend pants<\/a><\/strong> (XXS\u20134X) are also on sale: I own neutrals but the thin stripes are sooo cute. Here\u2019s a tip from the Bogel women: find yourself a top in the same fabric and color\/print\u2014tank, top, buttondown, it really doesn\u2019t matter\u2014for an effortlessly polished summer outfit. <\/p>\n How to Throw the Best Birthday Party Ever.<\/a><\/strong> (Emma<\/em> Straub\u2019s Newsletter<\/em>) It\u2019s all about the people, of course, but also: it\u2019s about the books! \u201cI highly encourage all of you to steal this idea. Going through the books this morning and reading all the notes made me feel so (earnest! feeling! ahead!) truly loved and appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n 12 great summer titles for Audiobook Appreciation Month.<\/a><\/strong> (MMD<\/em>) A dozen summer hits I happily declare to be \u201cAwesome on Audio.\u201d <\/p>\n For the past few years I\u2019ve been devoted to the Kosas Brow Pop Nano brow pencil<\/a><\/strong>. I just reordered my fourth or fifth one (in soft brown); I haven\u2019t bought any other brow products since this product hit the shelves. (Also available at Sephora<\/a><\/strong>.) <\/p>\n Foods from the U.S. That I Crave When I\u2019m There<\/a><\/strong>. (David Lebovitz Newsletter<\/em>) Food writer Lebovitz has lived in Paris for 20+ years and I LOVED seeing what he scoops up on his visits to the States. Peppermint patties! Pepperoni pizza! Cheese (yes, really!) <\/p>\n A Place of Healing: Robin Wall Kimmerer on the Medicinal Plants of the Adirondacks.<\/a><\/strong> (Literary Hub<\/em>) \u201cWhen I was a little kid, in the wayback of our old red station wagon with a canoe on top, I\u2019d watch as the farm fields disappeared and houses became few, the forest thicker and so fragrant I\u2019d roll down the window to breathe it in.\u201d<\/p>\n 21 observations from people watching.<\/a><\/strong> (skin contact<\/em>) \u201cIt is easy to tell how happy someone is to see another person enter a conversation. There is happy, and there is polite, and they look very different.\u201d<\/p>\n 15 standout backlist summer novels perfect for seasonal listening.<\/a><\/strong> These audiobooks feel entirely right for the summer season!<\/p>\nDon\u2019t miss these posts:<\/h3>\n