What Caught My Eye Online #35

Fall reads, Sephora tweens, a murder plot, and more

Photo by Marc Blue on Unsplash

Welcome to this week’s roundup! It’s a mix of entirely depressing articles about book bans and fun lists of fall reads and bookish accessories. We love balance! And accessories!

First, here’s what I’ve been loving this week:

• Pickles. I always love pickles, but I feel extra devotion to them this week. They’re always there in my fridge, hanging out in the door near the mustard, just waiting to be noticed and appreciated. They add so much flavor to any other food, and you won’t find pickles bragging about it. They’re humbly floating in their brine, content with being delicious and crunchy, not needing acclaim. Well, they’re getting it this week. Way to go, pickles.

• Urban Decay’s original Naked eyeshadow palette. One of the links below is about Sephora, the place where I bought the aforementioned palette for the first time. It originally came out in the 2010s, and I’ve missed it. It’s such a great mix of neutral shades and holds much nostalgia for me, so I was thrilled when it was re-released.

• Summer scents. Living seasonally is important to me, and one of the ways I do that is through scent. This week, I’ve been enjoying a Raspberries and Whipped Vanilla candle, which is the perfect combination of soft and sweet. Instead of burning candles, I use candle lamps. They prolong the life of my candles in such a way that they’ve basically paid for themselves. I’m a candle lamp evangelist now.

Now that I’ve covered pickles, makeup, and candles, let’s move on to the links.

• A high school library in Wilson County, Tennessee, has been temporarily closed so the collection can be evaluated for books violating a new law. The article states, "Under the law, any brief mention of sex, nudity or excess violence can lead to a book ban." The school is also warning teachers against having classroom libraries. A supporter of the bill, "Senator Pody explains they are trying to protect children from pornography which they've found in the past to be available in public schools." I'm so tired of people using fear and misinformation to claim pornography is accessible in school libraries. That isn't happening. What is happening is denying students access to culturally relevant stories that reflect their lives and experiences.

• Tennessee isn't the only state banning books. Iowa's harsh, controversial book ban, signed by Governor Kim Reynolds in 2023, is being fought in the courts. An appeals court just issued a mixed decision. A judge said the law had already caused the removal of "hundreds of books from school libraries, including, among others, nonfiction history books, classic works of fiction, Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary novels, books that regularly appear on Advanced Placement exams, and even books designed to help students avoid being victimized by sexual assault." This stuff makes me so sad. 

• Last week, I shared about 13 books pulled from public schools in Utah. This week, the director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom and other advocates are speaking out. I'm grateful for their voices. Support your local libraries!

• A former military sniper, Joe Moore, worked with the FBI to infiltrate the KKK. He was able to help stop an assassination attempt against Barack Obama and, later on, thwart the murder of another Black man. He just released a book and talked about it on NPR with Tonya Mosley. This interview is a must-listen. (There's also a transcript if you'd rather read the interview.)

• This new memoir by Glory Edim, founder of Well-Read Black Girl, looks so good! It's about the books that have shaped her life.

• Speaking of books about books, here are five books about bookstores. 

• Author Tommy Orange has been selected as a Future Library author. Learn more about that project here.

• NetGalley shares 30 fall and winter books to have on our radar. 

• Since fall is coming, check out this other piece from NetGalley full of bookish gifts to celebrate autumn reading. I'm a sucker for a seasonal candle or mug. If it has a leaf on it, I want it. 

• President Obama released his summer reading list. 

• On the latest What Should I Read Next? episode, Anne Bogel talked with a woman who celebrated her 50th birthday by asking friends to gift her books that meant something to them. I love that idea! 

• A librarian argues that libraries can help fight against the epidemic of loneliness. 

• Sephora is one of my favorite stores, and I've been intrigued by the recent content about tweens using high-end makeup and skincare. This New Yorker piece by Jia Tolentino is a fascinating look at the growing trend of children wanting retinol and other anti-aging products. 

• I absolutely loved watching gymnastics during the Olympics and was ecstatic for the US women's team. I've been following the drama surrounding Jordan Chiles's bronze medal, and this Vox article is a good read about what's actually going on. 

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What caught your eye this week? Do you have thoughts on anything I shared here? As always, thanks for reading!