Stuff We Like :: 6.23.17

It has been raining here ALL WEEK. I'm hoping to get a little sunshine this weekend.

around the web

This cracked me up: Texts from Wonder Woman

My friend Stephanie shared this piece earlier this week, and it has some great tips for not-black parents to talk to their kids about police shootings of black people. She said something that really hit home with me—that it’s so tempting to protect our kids from things like this but that that very temptation is kind of the epitome of white privilege.

Internships and summer programs can be great experiences, but maybe there’s nothing like the classic camp counselor gig.

Relevant to my interests: Songs about libraries and librarians

at home/school/life

on the blog: Nanette is pretty much filling up my podcast app right now, most recently with The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel

one year ago: 31 Great Books to Inspire Young Writers

two years ago: Myers Briggs book recommendations, the tragic truth about hoverboards, the Wolf Hall audiobook, and more in this 2015 Stuff We Like roundup.

reading list

Suzanne inspired me to pick up some Wodehouse to get me through this week’s special election, so Jeeves features largely on my Library Chicken list: Carry On, Jeeves (+0, on my Kindle), Right Ho, Jeeves (+0, on my Kindle), Iron-Hearted Violet (+0, because it was discounted for the Kindle so I had to buy an e-back-up copy, but then I also had to read it because I love Kelly Barnhill), Lower Ed (+1, a really interesting—and kind of disturbing—look at the world of for-profit colleges), The World of Odysseus (+1, work-related), The Greeks: A Portrait of Self and Others (+1, work-related), and Courtesans and Fishcakes (+1, work-related)

In the hammock with the kids: Revenge of the Evil Librarian, A House Without Mirrors (I’m totally stealing this one when she’s done), Hamster Princess: Giant Trouble

Homeschool: How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World (This has been fascinating!)

at home

We’ve been watching a Supergirl/Arrow/The Flash in tandem so that we get to the big crossover episodes in all of them at the same time.

I usually try to knit everyone a new sweater for Hanukkah, which means I have to get started in the summer to get them all done! This year, we have a new family member to knit for, and I am thinking of making him this cute little doggie sweater for our winter walks. Have you knit a dog sweater? Is there a pattern you really like? (I’m thinking about Abate for my son, too, but I haven’t settled on any official people sweaters yet)

My kids asked for a food delivery subscription this summer (maybe inspired by YouTube commercials? I am not sure -- it's one of those things where they send you all the ingredients for a specific recipe), and they’ve been really adorable making dinner together twice a week. I’ve always been non-plussed by subscription meal services, but I love that it’s given them the confidence to tackle dinner regularly. (I’m still not sure why a tiny bottle of soy sauce is more user-friendly than measuring out a portion from a bigger bottle, but I think I have to accept that it just is. I don't recommend Blue Apron, though!)

---