Weekend Reading 04.18
Three bookish things I learned from Gretchen Rubin, insights from the Something's Gotta Give production designer, an English cottage real estate listing, and more links for your weekend.
Hi friends. A couple of weeks ago, my book club headed out to hear Gretchen Rubin talk about her new book, Secrets of Adulthood. We’ve read several of Gretchen’s books (you might know her best from The Happiness Project), and some of us listen to her podcast, too, but we all agreed that she’s especially delightful in person.
Here are three bookish things I learned from her talk:
When writing a book, she sometimes plays hooky and works on another book when she wants a break. For instance, she worked on Secrets of Adulthood while playing hooky from writing Life in Five Senses.
The book she’s currently working on is about the empty nest, which she has rebranded as the open door. She describes it this way: “I like this metaphor because it emphasizes that family members are going and returning. My husband and I can take an impulsive trip, because our door is more open than when we had children to care for; and my kids can come back when they want. Our door is always open! The metaphor reminds me that I want to cultivate an atmosphere of freedom, welcome, and tenderness.” Isn’t that great?
Finally, this 64-page novella is the book she’s recommending right now.
I never tire of listening to authors discuss their ideas and creative processes, so I’ve been to dozens of author appearances like this one with Gretchen. We have an incredible independent bookstore in KC that is known for the number and quality of the author events it puts on, and I’ve been to a few at the KCPL, too. It’s one of my favorite things to do.
Thinking about that and always looking for ways to organize my books, last week I started gathering up books by authors I have heard talk in person and putting them on dedicated shelves in my office. I love having them all in one place, and I can’t wait to add to them.
Here’s what else I saved to share with you this week.
The production designer from the movie Something’s Gotta Give breaks down in this video what makes the much-loved house so iconic.
I love running across interesting real estate listings like this one for a stone house in an English village.
So many good tips for low-stress entertaining. The potato chip trick!
I sent this to my blue-eyed husband and children: research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor.
This week, I ran across this documentary about the day Queen Elizabeth died and watched it for the second time. It’s short - just over an hour - and is told from the perspective of broadcasters trying to put it all together in real time. So interesting.
Have you seen this video? A Michigan bookstore was moving to a new location around the corner, and 300 people showed up and formed a human chain to move thousands of books in less than two hours. I loved the boys singing 99 Bottles of Beer (Books?) on the Wall!
I hope you have a good weekend. Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all who are celebrating!