Reading Life
Everything about the reading life I love, from the books I keep pressing into friends’ hands to the rituals, bookshops and libraries that make reading feel like coming home.
Reading Life · Reading Rituals
A slow Saturday with a record, a pot of stew, a puzzle and a book, then church and Sunday dinner: an itinerary for the coziest winter weekend at home.
Reading Life · Reading Rituals
Candlelight, linens, mismatched vintage china, place cards with a line of poetry and a menu card, for a Christmas table that feels like chapter one.
Reading Life · Reading Rituals
Yes, they're corny, and yes, you should do it anyway. Here's how to pick a set the whole family will wear (husband and dog included).
Reading Life · Reading Rituals
An advent calendar of small, cozy and mostly free December joys, one for every day from the first of the month to Christmas morning.
Reading Life · What I’m Reading
Big, absorbing winter books by Black women and women of color, from The Vanishing Half to Black Cake and Homegoing, perfect for reading by the fire.
Reading Life · Reading Rituals
Iceland's Christmas Eve book flood is my favorite holiday tradition. Here's how it works, how to host your own, and the books by Black women I'd gift.
Reading Life · What I’m Reading
Her books have a reputation for being “hard,” but that’s part of the magic. As a writer who adores Morrison’s work, here’s which of her novels to read first (not Beloved) + practical reading tips!
Reading Life · Reading Rituals
Candles that smell like a library, a neck light for reading in bed, the prettiest bookmarks and more: cozy gifts for the reader in your life.
Reading Life · What I’m Reading
One story a day from The Best American Short Stories: what the series is, where I started, and what twenty stories a year teach me about writing.
Reading Life · Bookshops & Libraries
My first day in Bath was a cruise stop with one goal: every bookshop in the city. Here's how to do bookish Bath in a day, plus the Jane Austen Centre.
Reading Life · Reading Rituals
Why small lamps are the cheapest way to make your home feel cozy: how to light a room, which bulbs to buy, where to find lamps and my evening lamp ritual.
Reading Life · Reading Rituals
Why reading a print newspaper on Sunday morning still beats scrolling, plus my ritual (coffee, crossword, scissors) and how to start your own.
Reading Life · Bookshops & Libraries
Why little independent bookshops are worth the detour at home and abroad, plus my bookshop etiquette and easy ways to support your local bookstore.
Reading Life · Reading Rituals
Why reading outside makes every book better, the best places to read outdoors, what to pack and which books work best in the sunshine.
Reading Life · Bookshops & Libraries
The hidden joy of buying used books: margin notes, forgotten receipts and pressed flowers, plus where to find secondhand books worth keeping.
Reading Life · What I’m Reading
Some readers see a family tree at the front of a novel and sigh. I go get a blanket. A love letter to family saga novels, from Homegoing to Pachinko.
Reading Life · Bookshops & Libraries
A bookish Lisbon guide: Livraria Bertrand (the world’s oldest bookshop), Ler Devagar at LX Factory, Alfama’s little shops and the best views to read by.
Reading Life · What I’m Reading
Sula Peace, Clare Kendry, Shug Avery, Bernadine Harris and Queenie Jenkins: seven Black literary heroines I adore and would never, ever take advice from.
Reading Life · What I’m Reading
Why rereading books is good for you, the five books I keep coming back to, from Sula to Kindred, and how to make an old favorite feel new again.
Reading Life · Reading Rituals
What a commonplace book is, how to start one, what to put inside, and why copying out quotes by hand is the best way to remember what you love.