What are you up to this weekend? It’s been a busy week around here and I’ve been flying solo, parenting-wise, so this weekend I’m very much looking forward to spending time with Will and our college daughter who’s headed home right this minute for spring break. I’m planning on walking Daisy in the glorious sunshine, making homemade pizza, and baking these Salted Butterscotch Chocolate Chunk Cookies (verdict to follow; I spied this in the Cookies cookbook I recently told you about). Plus making a Trader Joe’s run—anything new I should try?
I hope YOU have something 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.
Don’t Overthink It Anniversary sale
My book Don’t Overthink It came out on March 3, 2020. In honor of its sixth anniversary, we’re putting the paperback on sale in our shop for $13. You can get it signed and personalized from me if you include how you’d like it inscribed in the special instructions box during checkout.
If you identify as an overthinker, I hope you’ll find it illuminating, practical, and full of joy. That’s the reason I wrote this book: not to focus on the overthinking itself, but how to put it aside in order to bring more peace, love, and joy into our lives.
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.
Netflix Unveils ‘Pride & Prejudice’ Series Teaser Trailer & Release Window. (Deadline) What do we think? In case you’re curious: here’s how I rank the previous adaptations.
Going to the Same Place Over and Over Again Is Really Good for You, Actually. (Self) “Casual acquaintances, classified as ‘weak ties’—such as the barista at your local coffee shop, the bartender at your neighborhood watering hole, or the front desk attendant at the gym—can often be just as important to our lives.” Related: On Parisian café culture and the joys of being a regular. (MMD)
The Unlikely Success of a Strange Alabama Bookstore. (The New Yorker) Casey Cep on the Alabama Booksmith: “How Reiss manages to acquire enough autographed books from actors, athletes, and best-selling authors to stock an entire store involves a mix of courtship, logistics, and luck.”
I adore winter citrus so of course Joy the Baker’s recipe for Grapefruit Yogurt Poppy Seed Loaf caught my eye. Simple and delicious. (But it sure didn’t last long around here!)
Will and I have enjoyed two lovely, quiet movies lately: the new release Sentimental Value and the older Columbus. Highly recommended.
15 cozy nonfiction books centered around heart and home. (MMD) These cozy nonfiction books feature warm and welcoming settings and lots of sensory details.
A Movie Deal Is a Writer’s Dream—or Is It? 5 Authors Get Real About the IP Machine. (CULTURED) “A carbon copy is absolutely not the right way of doing an adaptation. I’m hoping they’ll make big changes. I said, ‘Think of this as a relay race, and I’m handing you the baton.’”
Possibly the World’s Best Ski Club. (Ski Racing) A deep dive into how Norway has so many of the top skiers in the world and it all has to do with accessibility.
Ali Akbar, who’s sold newspapers on the streets of Paris for 50 years, is now a knight. (NPR) “Akbar’s medal comes with a quiet footnote: He is believed to be the last newspaper hawker left in Paris. A job that once dotted street corners across the city has almost vanished, pushed out by the internet and the collapse of print journalism sales.”
Required Reading: 10 Books That Changed Librarian Martha Hickson’s Life. (Vogue) Great list featuring familiar favorites plus a Pulitzer winner I hadn’t heard of before.
The New York Times is adding another daily crossword, because why not. (Nieman Labs) “The standard Times daily crossword, you see, is a 15×15 grid. The Mini is 5×5. The new Midi is 9×9, snug in between. This is, it probably goes without saying, very smart.” (Related from MMD: the joy and nerdery of a crossword puzzle routine.)
The $5 Cleaning Workhorse You Already Have at Home. (Wirecutter) So many good tips. (It’s dish soap!)
This week we welcomed MMD Book Club member Holly Dyer onto the podcast for episode 515: I can’t read all the books, and that’s okay. We talk about bookshelf overwhelm and how to better vet the titles she’s interested in reading before actually deciding to read them.
Speaking of MMD Book Club, Grown Women by Sarai Johnson is our March 2026 selection. I can’t wait to host Sarai in Book Club on March 25 for a live discussion about her multigenerational family saga.
Hungry for Affirmation, Vulnerable to Scams: As a Writer, I Know the Feeling. (New York Times gift link) “The scammers use A.I. to generate personalized, well-written emails. They often impersonate actual people, from a HarperCollins editor in London to a book-club organizer in Manhattan. And they are very, very patient.” More on the continuing book world scams. I am sorry to say that I have both been impersonated and targeted in these fraudulent schemes. Authors and readers, beware!
Is Mascara Falling Out of Fashion? (Harper’s Bazaar) This is SHOCKING to me.
Don’t miss these posts:
14 novels to help you explore climate fiction. Explore the impact of a changing earth on our lives, relationships, and communities through climate fiction.
Book journaling tools for every reader.
25 expansive stories that follow a character across decades. How many times have you wished you could stay with a beloved character a bit longer?
Have a great weekend!
