I’m coming to you from snowy Chicagoland where I’m preparing for a cozy weekend with dear friends who are in town for a visit. We’re staying a few towns over from where I live and I’m hoping the expected additional snow won’t interfere with our plans to eat, shop, and explore. Either way, it will be good to be in the same room, especially since I missed our last get together due to unforeseen circumstances. If I’ve learned anything from this past year, it’s that I can roll with life’s punches but it’s so much easier when my friends are by my side. This weekend will be a celebration of that fact.
Whatever weather or life circumstances you’re facing this weekend, I hope these links will offer just the right amount of distraction and enjoyment. Happy reading!
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 service like Pocket.
Lessons for the End of the World. (The New Yorker) The inimitable Hanif Abdurraqib memorializes poet Nikki Giovanni and the LA fires.
Luminous! A masterpiece! Why publishing can’t stop debating blurbs. (Vox) I have been fascinated by the reaction to this news.
If you remember what a big crossword puzzle nerd I am (MMD), you’ll know how thrilled I was to receive The New York Times Mega Book of Sunday Crosswords for Christmas (Amazon).
What Really Happens to Your Used Clothing. (Teen Vogue) “‘Tell your friends to stop sending these stained and ripped clothes,’ Grace says to me on an afternoon in January 2024. By ‘your friends’ she means Americans.”
Team member Ginger and I are currently buddy reading my all-time favorite novel A Prayer for Owen Meany (MMD). She hasn’t read it before and it’s been so fun to watch her experience Owen. Plus, we’re having the best discussions about the themes.
I highly recommend signing up for the 28 Days of Black History newsletter. This year’s theme is African Americans and Labor and I’ve learned a ton.
Since the 1970s, Martin Yan Has Taught Americans How to Love Dumplings. (Food & Wine) I loved watching Yan Can Cook when I was growing up.
Welcome to Dinner Music. (Culture Study Substack) I used to make an annual mix CD for friends and prided myself on my curation skills. Friends tell me they still listen to those mixes! I stopped in my early/mid-30s for a variety of reasons. When I listen to something these days, it’s almost always a podcast, though I have been trying to choose the radio when I’m in the car for the sheer discoverability factor. Anyway, this reminded me of how much time I used to spend finding and listening to new music. I want to get back into that habit and prioritize listening to the hundreds of CDs I own, which means I need to find a decent CD player (preferably not a stereo). Anyone have recs?
AI-Generated Slop Is Already In Your Public Library. (404 Media) Yikes, yikes, yikes.
My Quest to Find the Owner of a Mysterious WWII Japanese Sword. (Outside) Riveting story that connects across generations and countries.
One of the best recent additions to my winter soup rotation is this Creamy Dairy-Free Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup (Jenn Eats Good). I typically use regular rice and sometimes swap spinach in for the kale. It is incredibly flavorful!
Stephanie Yue Duhem: Only Bad Poems Go Viral. (Do Not Research Substack) “Poems are, in many ways, the perfect vehicle for social media engagement. Their brevity makes them easy to consume in a single glance. Their self-contained nature means they can be completely divorced from context. Their formal qualities provide instant fodder for judgment.”
Is anyone listening to The Telepathy Tapes podcast? I’m only a couple of episodes in—I find I want to sit with the content and let it percolate for a while before moving on to the next one—but it is blowing my mind.
Don’t miss these posts:
20 chaste and closed door romances for your TBR. Romance has a wide range of heat levels ranging from chaste to high heat. We’re turning our attention to the oft-requested category of chaste and closed door romances!
50 engrossing and adorable rom com books and movies for your Valentine’s weekend. Perfect pairings!
Get hooked on a new mystery series with these 10 addicting audiobooks. These well-written procedurals are worth the read.
Have a great weekend!
Leigh Kramer is the Editor and Social Media Manager here at MMD. Her go-to genres are romance, fantasy, and YA. You can follow Leigh on Goodreads.