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What are you up to this weekend? Will and I have a big weekend planned, as in big plans to cozy up at home: U of L basketball, U of L football, and lots of Thanksgiving prep! <\/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
Need more gift ideas? We refreshed this round-up of gifts I\u2019ve loved to give and receive<\/a><\/strong> over the years. Good stuff is there, all vetted and endorsed by moi! Some of it is even on sale; keep reading \u2026<\/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 bookmarking service.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018I had a year to write it from scratch\u2019: the 2025 Booker finalists on the stories behind their novels.<\/a><\/strong> (The Guardian<\/em>) Fascinating, especially if you enjoy origin stories and peeks behind the scenes. <\/p>\n 12 Christmas mysteries for your holiday season.<\/a><\/strong> (MMD<\/em>) Brigid\u2019s fantastic list of festive whodunnits.<\/p>\n Our Homes Aren\u2019t Weird Enough: Experts Reveal Why Playing It Safe Is Killing Your Style.<\/a><\/strong> (House Beautiful<\/em>) \u201cA home isn\u2019t meant to please everyone; it should express the people who live there.\u201d Will and I have been talking about the goalposts of \u201cquirk\u201d and \u201cfunk\u201d for weeks!<\/p>\n Anthropologie has a great sale going: get 30% off with the code ANTHRO30.<\/a><\/strong> Plus spend $200+, get $50 emailed on 12\/11. It just so happens I\u2019ve shopped Anthro a lot this fall (see \u201cquirk\u201d and \u201cfunk\u201d above\u2014Anthro kills it in these departments for house and home); these are some favorites:<\/p>\n Make Your Own Tradition This Thanksgiving.<\/a><\/strong> (Bon App\u00e9tit<\/em>) \u201cOver the past few decades, Thanksgiving has become more about peace, grace, and friendship, where we celebrate our chosen people and our family ties.\u201d<\/p>\n Thanksgiving or Perimenopause?<\/a><\/strong> (McSweeney\u2019s<\/em>) \u201cIs it four thousand degrees in the kitchen, or is it just you?\u201d I clicked on this so fast.<\/p>\n Little things I\u2019m loving lately: kitchen edition.<\/a><\/strong> (MMD<\/em>) 10 (mostly) small things bringing me a disproportionate amount of happiness in the kitchen right now. <\/p>\n With\u00a0Cursed Daughters<\/em>, Oyinkan Braithwaite Makes a Deliberate Shift Away From Her Bestselling Debut.<\/a><\/strong> (Elle<\/em>) \u201cWriting is a sort of\u2026it\u2019s magic. It\u2019s this alchemy where, sometimes, things fall into place.\u201d<\/p>\n Why Don\u2019t People Return Their Shopping Carts? A (Somewhat) Scientific Investigation.<\/a><\/strong> (Behavioral Scientist<\/em>) Do your part, return your cart! \u201cI\u2019m a psychologist who has spent the past decade studying how we think about our own behavior in relation to others. Perhaps the choice to not return a shopping cart seems trivial, but what we do with our cart says a lot about how we think about others and what we believe we owe one another (or don\u2019t).\u201d<\/p>\n One Bookstore, 3 Sisters and 100 Years.<\/a><\/strong> (New York Times<\/em> gift link) \u201cBookstores are a rich part of New York City\u2019s history, places like the Strand, Books & Co. and Gotham Book Mart. But with so many closing in recent decades, the Argosy has become a quiet contemplative curiosity amid the bustling blur of Midtown go-getters.\u201d An incredible literary legacy. (How have I never been?) <\/p>\n Madewell\u2019s Black Friday sale is on: get 40% off your purchase. I especially like my Madewell bags<\/a><\/strong> and boots.<\/a><\/strong> My most-carried and -worn are the Essential Bucket Tote<\/a><\/strong> and the Dimes Kitten Heel boots<\/a><\/strong>, <\/p>\n I test-drove Smitten Kitchen\u2019s slow-roasted sweet potato recipe<\/a><\/strong> this week before adding it to our Thanksgiving menu: it\u2019s a winner! (After reading a zillion comments, we intend to bake these the day before, slice, arrange in a casserole dish, and drizzle with a TBD gently sweetened buttery something.) <\/p>\n What I\u2019ve been reading lately: the new and the notable.<\/a><\/strong> (MMD<\/em>) Last month I read\u00a0three gigantic books<\/a><\/strong>, which resulted in an uncharacteristically low number of total books read. In comparison, this month I feel like I\u2019ve been flying through the titles\u2014easy to do when you\u2019re reading 300-page books instead of 1300-page ones.<\/p>\n Branch out into a new genre with these literary fiction reads.<\/a><\/strong> There\u2019s no need to be intimidated by literary fiction!<\/p>\nMy favorite finds from around the web:<\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t miss these posts:<\/h3>\n