What Caught My Eye Online #48
Books, books, and a wild turkey
Welcome to this week’s roundup!
Here’s what I’ve been loving this week:
Gel manicures. I’ve used Olive and June’s nail products for several years, so I was quick to purchase their new gel manicure system. Even with good polish and top coats, my nails are always quick to chip and break, thanks to the work I do. With the two manicures I’ve done so far, my nails feel a lot stronger and the chipping has been nonexistent. I need to practice more, but so far, I’d definitely recommend this kit. (It’s on sale this week, too.)
Rare Beauty’s body products. In a recent Sephora sale, I got the Rare Beauty mist, body lotion, and hand cream. I love the subtle scent and how soft the creams make my skin. I think these products are overpriced without a sale, but they might be worth it for you if you like the scent, which contains “uplifting notes of sparkling lemon zest, soft jasmine, and smooth cashmere wood.”
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I love all kinds of different sandwiches, yet the classic peanut butter and jelly often gets ignored. I was running low on lunch options last week, so I packed a PB&J for work and was so glad I did. It was delicious! I ended up having another one over the weekend. There’s something nice and cozy about returning to a simple favorite.
And now for this week’s links!
NPR has released their best books of the year, and this is the BEST list. I came across a lot of titles that were new to me, and the filters make it easy and fun to search for exactly what you want.
The New York Times has shared their 100 Notable Books of 2024. I’ve read 12 of them and want to read 21 more.
The National Book Awards have announced their winners. I’m happy Percival Everett took home the fiction prize for James.
Lit Hub reports that Authors Against Book Bans, a group of writers and other creatives fighting against censorship, shared an open letter to publishers, urging them to prepare for what’s ahead in 2025. In the letter, they “ask for renewed commitment to the freedom to read, to our freedom to write, and to authors' physical and creative safety, along with a reassurance that publishing will do all it can to resist silencing authors' voices.” Read the whole thing here.
The team at NetGalley are sharing their most anticipated 2025 releases. I immediately added The Lake’s Water Is Never Sweet to my TBR.
Barnes and Noble talks with poet Billy Collins, who has a new book out, Water, Water. I love his thoughts here:
“The first poem I ever got in an anthology — it was one of the Norton anthologies — was followed by study questions, and I had no clue what the answers could possibly be. In the process of writing, I’m really trying to make something for the reader more than I’m trying to express myself or express a certain emotion. I do that by concentrating on making one line at a time, and then those lines add up to one stanza at a time. Those are the building blocks of a poem: the line, and the stanza. I never stop to think, what does this mean? The question, ‘what does it mean’ is a static question because you can write down its meaning, and there that stands as another bit of print. But how does a poem travel? It’s a much more kinetic and active question.”
I love a good seasonal book, and Goodreads offers 69 Winter-Themed Novels for Cold-Weather Reading. I’m clinging to autumn until the very last second, though.
Questions are arising about the legacy of Cormac McCarthy after a recent Vanity Fair article detailed his relationship with a teen girl.
I’ve been reading a lot of history and nonfiction lately, the subjects of a recent book list from Anne Bogel.
Here’s a fun gift guide for librarians and book lovers.
I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, but you can view the documentary The Booksellers, “a behind-the-scenes look at the New York rare book world,” for free on YouTube.
I see turkeys a lot in my neighborhood, so this short video of a turkey who hates cars was especially funny to me.
Check out the meals chefs make when they’re too tired to cook.
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What caught your eye this week? What have you been loving? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Your substack is such a wealth of wonderful information! Thank you!