It’s been a hard week, y’all—between winter hardships and the weight of the world, there’s a lot to carry right now. To my friends in Minnesota—my heart is with you; I’m rooting for y’all.
We’re still buried in snow and enduring single-digit temps here in Kentucky. School’s been out all week, so we’ve shoveled and snowblowed (thanks, neighbor) and baked cookies and called our reps every day (on speaker phone with my teenager, to show the next generation how it’s done). This weekend I’m hoping a bit of a thaw is on the way, that the counterweights are abundant, that I get to visit with new friends and host old ones in my home for a much-needed visit.
I hope you have something to look forward to these next few days, and I hope this collection of coincidentally but perhaps serendipitously community-focused interesting reads helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.
Coming soon:
Next week we’ll mark the halfway point of winter, as is our custom around here. I’m nodding along with Barbara Brown Taylor’s old book we draw our inspiration from (a bit more detail on that here): it is so easy to name what’s killing us, and much harder to point to what’s saving our life in a given season. But—I believe on Monday, if it’s ready, fingers crossed—I’ll share my annual reflection on what’s saving my life in this space. You’re welcome to join, with your own web or social media post, or simply by leaving a comment. Not sure what I’m talking about, or don’t want to wait till after the weekend for life-saving reflections? The saving my life archives are here.
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.
How To Help if You are Outside Minnesota. (Will Tell Stories for Food) From author and Minnesotan Naomi Kritzer.
As grocery prices soar, this German grocery chain is conquering America. (Washington Post gift link) “Aldi’s business model is basically engineered for this moment in time.”
Museum Week: Part 1. “Museums are wonderful places to connect with oneself, with others (throughout history), and with something bigger than oneself. A good museum can be a reset button, after the world has worn you down, a place for one’s brain to breathe.”
26 recommended reads for those traveling to California (or who want to). (MMD) For anyone planning a trip to California or looking for some armchair travel.
Travel Photographer of the Year: The world’s best travel photos. (BBC) Jaw-dropping images.
At the Rikers Jail, the Women Have No Library. But They Have a Book Club. (New York Times) “‘Being in a book club helps us forget exactly where we are,’ she said. ‘It helps with anxiety and depression. It pulls certain inmates together because it’s a time when you’re in a room with people you might not otherwise even talk to.’” This reminds me so much of Monica Wood’s excellent How to Read a Book and our fabulous conversation with her in MMD Book Club.
The Story Behind Needlepoint’s Modern-Day Renaissance. (Vogue) “‘We live in a time now [where] everything is very ephemeral,’ the self-described ‘late-in-life stitcher’ explains. ‘We don’t write on paper anymore. We don’t send letters. Everything is digital. There are so few physical, tangible memories. But needlepoint is something that is physical, that is tangible, that you can see, that you can look at.’”
Ask Anne Anything: 10 Year Anniversary Edition. (What Should I Read Next?) Live and unscripted: Will and I tackle a whole bunch of listener questions, both personal and professional. It’s a good time!
American Library Association announces 2026 Youth Media Award winners. (ALA) The newly announced winners and honor books for a slew of awards—Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, Alex, and more.
The video store is ready for a comeback … as a community centre. (CBC) I love this. “‘It seemed kind of joyously anachronistic,’ he says, but he bet on ‘a homespun little pop-up video store’ attracting people from the neighbourhood and beyond, and for nearly five years, it’s been doing exactly that.”
Why Book Retreats Are the Next Big Thing in Travel. (Daily Passport) “Book retreats promise escapism and an opportunity to put aside the distractions of everyday life to focus on a neglected “to be read” list. They offer the chance for avid readers to forge connections with others who share their passion through conversations that dissect reading material and a variety of communal activities.”
Three winning crock pot recipes from a slow cooker convert. Holly shares her unexpected journey to embracing her crock pot, plus three favorite crowd-pleasing recipes.
Think You’re Tough? Spend an Afternoon at Minnesota’s Coldest Ice Fishing Derby. (Outside) “‘Ice is like mechanics wire—you can bend it 100 times and it will never break,’ Bieganek said during a call prior to the derby. ‘But just when you think you’re doing everything right, it will crack.’”
If you’re in need of a fun romp, look no further than our MMD Book Club February 2026 selection: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto. The author will join us for a live discussion on February 25.
Can “Bookstreaming” Save the Literacy Crisis? (Cosmopolitan) “The heroes who could relieve the country of this crisis might have just arrived in an unlikely form: Twitch streamers.” I was skeptical when I clicked, but these videos made me grin so big.
Don’t miss these posts:
15 propulsive literary mysteries that balance plot and prose. It’s hard to beat an unputdownable mystery combined with a beautifully written literary novel.
7 simple ways to read more this year. If you’ve been wanting to squeeze more reading time into your days, these strategies should help.
10 books by authors with a pen name. Pen names are a storied tradition in the writing life.
Have a great weekend!
