What Caught My Eye Online #46
How librarians are doing, 2025 releases, puzzles, and more
Well, it’s certainly been a week. In case you missed it, I wrote about my thoughts on everything here. I have so many concerns about the future, but life goes on, and it does me no good to dwell anywhere but the present. (I need to repeat this myself about 900 times a day.)
Here are a few of the good things I’ve been enjoying this week:
Peppermint mochas. All the coffee shops I frequent offer this drink year-round, but it tastes better the closer it is to Christmas. That’s science. I usually prefer a cold brew or vanilla Americano, but sometimes, I just want a peppermint mocha with whipped cream and sprinkles in a red cup.
The Great British Baking Show. When I started watching this show in 2020, I joked that it saved my mental health during the pandemic. I was only about 37% kidding. Four years later, and it still brings me such joy, thanks to the contestants' talent, their kindness toward each other, and the camaraderie of the hosts. Last week, they made tiramisu, one of my all-time favorites. I bought tiramisu at Costco, so I am also a talented
bakershopper.My earbuds. I’ve been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately, thanks in part to these fantastic earbuds. I’ve had them for a couple of years now and they’re still going strong. They’re the most comfortable pair I’ve ever worn. One of my favorite features is that I can turn the noise cancelation on and off, which is helpful when I’m at work. They’re pricey, but I bet they’ll be on sale soon.
And now for this week’s links.
I’m looking forward to Haruki Murakami’s new novel, The City and its Uncertain Walls, which will be released next week. He talks with NPR here.
Here are some 2025 releases that could make for good book club picks. I’m particularly excited about the new Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie novel.
Ann Patchett writes about annotating one of her most beloved novels, Bel Canto, and gives a preview of some of its pages.
I don’t have kids, but if you have little ones in your life, you might appreciate this list of ten new children’s books to read together. I’ll be picking up Marisha Pessl’s new YA novel, Darkly.
Here are some of the most anticipated thrillers coming out in 2025.
Publishers Weekly and EveryLibrary warn that the U.S. election results mean more uncertainty for libraries. I’m trying not to worry about this. It could be going a lot better.
This stuff matters because librarians are already facing a crisis of violence and abuse. The trauma many library workers are facing right now has never been my experience, thankfully, but my heart aches for those whose workplaces can feel like battlefields.
The Guardian reports that sales of dystopian fiction have soared since Trump’s reelection.
Instead of diving into dystopian stories, other readers are reaching for “healing fiction” in tumultuous times.
Lit Hub shares an excerpt of Glory Edim’s new book, Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books that Saved Me, which I’m excited to pick up.
Thriller author J. T. Ellison writes about women finding their power in literature.
I love learning about writer’s practices and routines. Heather Sellers talks about her habits here.
Goodreads offers 68 new books to read for Native American Heritage Month.
Goodreads also lists 148 recent celebrity book club picks. I’m curious about the readers who rely on these clubs for their reading inspiration. If you do, which celebrity book club do you most trust to come through with good titles?
Anne Bogel shares some beautiful puzzles. I have a couple of Galison’s Christmas puzzles, and I love them.
I haven’t made it yet, but this green chile white bean macaroni soup sounds delicious.
I bought a white blouse with a tie within 12 hours of watching this video about a French capsule wardrobe for winter.
I was moved by this piece from poet Drew Jackson.
Black Liturgies, run by the wonderful Cole Arthur Riley, has been the perfect mix of challenging and comforting this week.
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What things have caught your eye lately? Leave your recommendations in the comments. Thanks for being here!
Omg! I have The Great British Baking Show on my list, but I know it will take over my life when I start it haha
Such a variety of insights and resources here. Thank you for sharing, Andrea!