Stuff We Like :: 7.31.15

Our month-long web extravaganza is ending, but we’d love to know what you’ve enjoyed reading on the site and what you’d like to see more of in the coming months. (Really! Pipe up!) And don’t worry, we’ve still got plenty of good stuff in the queue, including an awesome giveaway that we’ll tell you more about next week.

around the web

So I love Rebecca, which I read at exactly the right time to fall in love with its Gothic charms, but I do frequently find myself saying “What the heck is wrong with you, Max de Winter?” So this imagined conversation between Max and the second Mrs. de Winter made my day.

I still reread my favorite books every year. (I have reread Little Women every fall since I was 7 years old.) But apparently rereading is something we do less and less as we get older, and that’s a shame.

Great read for helping kids (and parents) recognize problematic statistics in news reporting.

at home/school/life

on the blog: We’re trying out the Monday pep talk as a little kickstart to your week. What do you think?

on pinterest: This wall-mounted kraft paper rollis so clever — I’m thinking we need one in the kitchen as a doodle station, and we’ll use the resulting artwork to wrap holiday presents.

in the magazine: You know your homeschool group wants our best subscription deal.

reading list

I already have a copy of Goodbye Stranger on order to give my daughter as soon as it comes out next week. I think this is THE book to give a middle school girl. (Despite the cover, it has nothing to do with boyfriends.)

We’re reading The Island of Dr. Libris as our morning readaloud, and it’s been a lot of fun. (I caught my 7-year-old trying to read ahead, which is high praise indeed.)

I just finished Silver in the Blood, which I wanted to love (shape-shifting! mysterious family origins! best-friend cousins! Jessica Day George!) but which was ultimately just okay.

in the kitchen

I love watermelon pickles. And now I have a bunch.

I am totally hooked on this quick skillet granola because I want to be the kind of person who has healthy homemade granola on hand but am more frequently the kind of person who needs a breakfast that comes together in under 15 minutes. (I add Trader Joe’s dried blueberries.)

Does anybody have a great tomato sauce recipe? I am at the stage where the tomatoes are outpacing our eating ability. (Luxury problems!)

at home

Mystery Show is my new podcast.

I am still chugging along on my Beekeeper’s Quilt. I keep trying to justify buying the big KnitPicks palette sampler to help motivate me over the last hill (or three), but my stash is already beyond reasonable life expectancy.

Do you play Ticket to Ride? It’s had a featured role at our table this summer. I like that it’s fast-paced so we can finish a game in an hour or so and challenging enough that it’s fun to play over (and over).

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