Readers, when today’s guest wrote in asking for help finding books that felt especially welcoming and hospitable, I knew we wanted to have that conversation here on the podcast. Adrianne Carnes is a bookseller and marketing director for a local independent bookstore in Texas. She appreciates the practice of creating an inviting space for the readers who frequent her shop, but her passion for hospitality has deep roots. As a child, Adrianne traveled often with her parents, and was so charmed by her experiences with hospitality that she considered making it a career. While her life took her in ..read more

What are you up to this weekend? After a stormy week I hope to get outside and enjoy some sunshine. As far as indoor activities go, I need to plan my TBR for an upcoming trip to the beach! If you have ideas I’d love to hear. I’m also looking forward to my teens’ dance recital: watching them and their talented peers kill it on stage is so much fun. I hope you have something to look forward to this weekend, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind. My favorite finds from around the web: Why You Should Meet Your Literary Her ..read more

I love to listen to audiobooks; I’m picky about my audiobooks. Anyone relate? I read more slowly on audio than I do on the page, and I want to make those hours count. That feels especially true this time of year: we make a big deal of summer reading around here, and while I listen to audiobooks year-round there’s something special about listening to a great read in the summer. When I’m choosing my next audiobook listen, I’m not looking for a substitute for the print book; the best audiobooks enhance the reading experience, adding layers that the print version can’t replicate. I know many ..read more

Today we’re starting a new loose series, conceived by our team member Shannan. Because this whole thing was her idea, I asked her to kick us off. I’m so happy to welcome her to the blog today to tell us about the books that shaped her. Happy reading! – Anne I have been a reader or pretended to be a reader (before I learned to read) for as long as I can remember. I don’t know where it came from. I don’t remember my mom reading to my sister and I just for the joy of it. We did have a twice-daily Family Worship and my parents would read the Bible or some sort of inspirational story or devotional ..read more

What are you up to this weekend? I’m hoping to take care of some business I’ve been putting off and I’m definitely signing a stack of books that are going out with your shop orders. We’re also planning a family baseball outing for the first time in years, plus I anticipate some happy reading and puzzling for the rainy days on the way. I hope you have something to look forward to this weekend, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind. My favorite finds from around the web: Book Tour: At home with Amor Towles. (Washington P ..read more

I’ve been thinking about funny books a lot lately, and specifically what makes a book funny to me. Humor is subjective and especially so when it comes to funny books. What makes me laugh might not work for you, and vice-versa. That’s the beauty of the reading life—and life in general. I might have guesses that funny books would be characterized by an absence of hard things, but when I survey the books that have made me laugh the hardest, that is not remotely accurate. In fact, the book I found funniest in this year’s Summer Reading Guide is also the one with the darkest premise, and that is A ..read more

Readers, today marks our final live episode from my recent travels to the southeastern U.S. I can’t wait for you to listen in to my conversation with listener favorite Lauren Groff, who I joined at the Word of South festival in her home state of Florida. This conversation happened in the midst of a big moment for Lauren: she was recently recognized on the Time 100 list, and her new bookstore, The Lynx, just opened in Gainesville. Today we talk more about what led her to open The Lynx and her goals for this new independent bookstore. And, we dive into all kinds of readerly topics, like Lauren ..read more

What are you up to this weekend? I think we’re finally getting a little bit of a breather around here: I hope to make some progress on this ridiculously hard puzzle, tidy up the Summer Reading Guide books that are still in a towering stack by my desk, and maybe start rewatching The Bear with Will since the new season drops June 27. I hope you have something to look forward to for these next few days, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind. Get your Summer Reading Guide! We’ve historically released this just before Memor ..read more

Last month (most of) my family popped over to Germany to visit my oldest son, a history/German double major who spent the spring semester of his junior year of college studying abroad at Leuphana University of Lüneburg, near Hamburg in the northern part of the country. Every trip has its own reasons, and our primary purpose for this trip was to spend time with our kid, hanging out in his smallish town and seeing what his life was like there. But we also wanted to experience a bit of Europe with him, so we tacked on a long weekend in Copenhagen on the front end and took day trips to Hamburg (w ..read more

I have long said the best audiobooks don’t simply replace the experience of reading with your eyes but instead enhance the book, adding layers to the reading experience. Nowhere is this more true than with audiobooks that feature full cast recordings. While audiobooks most commonly feature one or perhaps two narrators, a full cast adds to the characterization and dynamics, in addition to making it easier for the listener to distinguish between characters. Great audio performances elevate a book and pull you in, going beyond on-paper reading for an immersive event. It’s the mode ..read more