Links I love – Modern Mrs Darcy

Happy New Year! My team and I are officially off this week between Christmas and New Year’s, but I’m popping in with a short installment of Friday Links while Will runs out for bagels (bless him).

This week has been lovely AND ALSO every single one of the Bogels has been sick for some part of the holiday break. I haven’t enjoyed as much dog walking and hiking and friend gatherings as I had hoped and planned for, but one of my holiday season hopes was to spend lots of time at home hanging with my people, reading good books, eating good food, and watching sports and (not always good) movies, and those dreams are for sure coming true.

My hope is that 2026 has so far and will continue to be kind to you, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things adds a dash of enjoyment and good nerdy fun to your first weekend of the year.

My favorite finds from around the web:

I offer gift links for articles whenever possible (you may still need to create an account with the publication); if there’s no gift link and you’re not a subscriber, check to see if your library carries the publication or use a bookmarking service.

January 1, 2026 is Public Domain Day. (Center for the Study of the Public Domain) A whole heap of books, films, sound recordings, and even art entered the public domain this week: As I Lay Dying, Strong Poison, the first four Nancy Drew books, Vile Bodies, The Little Engine That Could, All Quiet on the Western Front, Georgia on My Mind, Betty Boop, Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow, Blondie and Dagwood, Murder at the Vicarage, and many, many more.

Facing the new year with a stick. (The Leap) Maria Konnikova shares a favorite New Year’s poem—just three lines long—from Seamus Heaney. “The power of those lines gets me anew every time I read them and seems perfect for this moment. We’re on ice, the pavement dangerous and slippery. But we don’t face the elements alone.”

7 Podcasts for Bookworms. (New York Times gift link) What a delight to see What Should I Read Next? kicking off this roundup! I was honored by the way the author captured what we’ve been doing on the show for ten years (come January 12!).

A day in the life of a book shop. (Nooks) “Sometimes, the bookstore feels like it has a soul, and I’m just honored to have been a guest in its presence for the day.The book shop is a dream. The book shop is work. Both can be true.”

We’ve been doing a lot of soups this week at my house: family favorites like black bean and lentil vegetable (recipes linked here), chicken and rice, and ham and bean. Last night we made Alison Roman’s cornbread to go with the ham and bean and it was cold weather perfection.

This Low-Maintenance Houseplant Was Just Named 2026’s Plant of the Year—and It Comes With a Lucky Reputation. (Real Simple) “For 2026, we chose the money tree because it represents hope, positive energy, and the belief that good things are growing.” A friend gifted me one when Don’t Overthink It came out in March 2020 and it’s still going strong.

I’m A Working Mom In My 40s And An Introvert. I Have More, Sweeter, And Deeper Friendships Than Ever In My Life. (The Golden Hour) “Maybe you’re like me. You hate small talk. You don’t like sports, or drunk people, or bars with TV screens. You don’t have regular-people hobbies, you’d rather read a book. You’re exhausted at the end of the day, the end of the week. You spend too much time on your phone. It’s ok. You can still have better friendships than you do now.” Thoughtful and practical.

Hopes or Maybe Daydreams. (Letter from Berlin) “I love the pregnant silence of New Year’s Day, so full of possibility and hope. I luxuriate in daydreams about the new year in the days leading up to December 31st, what I want to experience and prioritize in the year to come. I’m not good with rigid expectations, though, so my resolutions, if you can go so far as to call them that, are more hopes, or maybe daydreams is most accurate.”

Dragons, Sex and the Bible: What Drove the Book Business This Year. (New York Times gift link) “Do people still read novels? Yes! Readers bought about 184 million print adult fiction books this year. That’s roughly as many as they bought last year and 66 million more than in 2019, the last year before the pandemic gave book sales a jolt.”

Listen to This: Some Audiobooks Are Outselling Hardcovers. (Wall Street Journal gift link) I’m not surprised by the phenomenon, but definitely surprised by some of the titles cited here.

A new year and a new book club selection for MMD Book Club! We’ll be reading Sipsworth by Simon van Booy and the author will join us for the discussion on January 29.

Ornaments make good souvenirs. (VanderHacks) I have never heard of this idea … until this year, when ten friends and now Laura have shared the practice. I wish I’d been doing this my whole life, but I resolve to start immediately.

Forget Your Perfect Offering. (Everything Is a Wave) One last New Year’s reflection/benediction to begin the year.