Hey, Reader,

Remember when you were a kid, and you'd ask, "When is dinner?" and your mom would say, "Thirty minutes," and that felt like thirty centuries?

Now, as adults, thirty minutes feels like negative three seconds.

Reading books keeps us connected to slow time. Unhurried time, restful time, one-task-only time.

In a world of increasingly fragmented shards of time, that's a gift.

I see it when my little boys have trouble settling in for Quiet Reading Time (a daily thing in our homeschool). They fidget and rustle, but then...they finally settle in. I see their muscles loosen, their breathing even out, their eyes focus. It's a gift.

Whatever you're reading right now, and however much time you have, keep it up!

I'm keeping it short today, but scroll down because there's more to this newsletter.

Book Lover's Grab Bag

😰 Does Your Online Life Leave You Too Depleted for Local Community? A knockout essay by Lara D'Entremont "They provided this sense of community while never actually being the kind of community we’re created for, and they often left me depleted."

💯 How did I not know about Standard Ebooks? Here, you can download ebooks that are in the public domain—but here's the difference: this company is committed to quality. No glaring errors or wonky formatting. What a fantastic project!

📚 WWII Historical fiction books that make history come alive by Lynn at From Our Bookshelf. I know some of you can't get enough of these!

👊 What happens when the protagonist of a story rebels against the narrator? Just for fun.

As always, I'll leave you with one irresistible indulgence.

Your devoted,

Michelle

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