My Latest Score
Per this post, I had to have this Tibi LBD, on sale for 70% off. I don’t have an event (yet) to wear it to, but I guarantee that one evening a few months from now I will be verrrry happy I made this purchase. This LRD would also be a great snag at 50% off!
You’re Soooo Popular
Most popular items on Le Blog this week:
+The best bra on earth. (Who is with me?!)
+This embroidered linen romper ($89) — very Dodo Bar Or, without the price tag.
+Such a sweet floral dress for summer (and under $100!)
+My favorite lipstick: Nars’ Roman Holiday ($28).
+This adorable baby boy bubble ($38).
#Turbothot
Mr. Magpie gave me a Kindle Paperwhite for my birthday (turning thirty-three gave me all the feels) and I feel like a complete doofus for not buying one sooner.
It’s…the best.
{My beloved Kindle. Also, you’ll note the Aerin for Williams-Sonoma scalloped plates. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I talked all about how much I detested my everyday china (see pick no. 5) and my mama listened and gifted me some of these beauties and they make my day errryday. Thanks mom!}
If you have a very close friend/sibling who is breastfeeding and does not own one of these devices…buy her one. Or tip off her husband to do so. If you have a close friend/sibling/mother who loves to read and does not own of these devices…buy her one. Just go ahead and buy them for everyone.
I had so resisted reading on a digital surface, subscribing instead to some sort of puritanical devotion to the physical object of the book or lingering grad student snobbery–
“It will tamper with the heuristics of reading,” I sniffed.
“It will alter the intended literary experience,” I protested.
“It will detract from the physical joy of curling up with a good book,” I grumbled.
“I’m a luddite,” I was confessing.
The Kindle may have changed my experience as a reader, but, I have learned, for the better. For one thing, I read a lot more. I find it much easier to pick up and swipe through a handful of pages while waiting for Mr. Magpie in the car at Home Depot (ughhh hellll) or in the checkout line (true story! #dork) or while watching mini play on her activity mat, in part because it’s so small and lightweight–I barely give it a second thought when tossing it in my tote (whereas before, I might have weighed — literally — the pros and cons of toting along a huge hardcover)–and in part because the “pages” on the Kindle are so short that I feel I’ve made progress even when I’ve only read the equivalent of one paper page in a hardcover book. For some reason, the thought of only getting through one or two pages of a physical book frustrated me to the point of discouraging me from picking one up if I only had a few minutes to spare. On a Kindle, it’s not even a consideration. I always read it while nursing mini — it’s easy and lightweight to hold or balance on a neighboring pillow, and the screen’s adjustable brightness makes it easy to pick up in the middle of the night without bothering Mr. Magpie or keeping mini awake longer than necessary. I also love that the Paperwhite is a “single use” product: it’s just for reading. No apps to distract me, which also means a longer battery life and less fretting over charging it up. (Does anyone else grate at the mental load associated with constantly keeping your iPhone battery charged?) Finally, and perhaps this is idiosyncratic to me, but I found that reading on an iPad was stressful; I always felt that the screen dimmed too quickly and would find myself racing to finish reading a page or tapping nervously to keep the screen from going to sleep. I believe you can adjust the settings to avoid this, but it was an unpleasant experience. The Kindle stays back-lit for a long while before switching off, and you read a “page” in less than 30 seconds anyway, so this entire concern is absent from the equation.
Finally. I had been nervous that reading in digital format would deprive me of the tactile experience of knowing that I’m nearing the end of a book and that the narrative must be close to its resolution just by virtue of the distribution of pages on the left side vs right side of the book’s spine. I mean, truly–you’d be surprised at how much your sense for your proximity to the book’s ending alters your perception of the narrative! The Kindle’s “% complete” indicator neatly solves for this omission and I love its precision–I love knowing I tore through 33% of a book in one night or that I have only 8% to go. Genius.
So, not particularly deep thoughts today, but a major breakthrough for this bibliophile right here. I’ll conclude, though, by sharing a comment from one of you lovely readers from a few weeks back, when I was first contemplating the purchase of a Kindle. It tipped the scales for me:
“Physical books are art and they’re hard to let go of, but books are for reading and the Kindle is a tool to facilitate that.”
Here, here. (Thanks, Taylor!)
P.S. — I’m currently reading this for book club, which is pretty fluffy–but it has a handful of show-stopping lines, like this: “…art was both mining and magic, a trade and seance at once.” Unbelievable! It makes me expect and want better and bigger things from this author. I’ve already queued up Roxane Gay’s latest as my next pick and think her saucy cerebrality will atone for the beach read I’m currently 62% through.
P.P.S. — 10 books that will change your life, and 10 great beach reads.
Shopaholic
+I’ve featured both of these before, but I am debating between these two slides for my mid-summer splurge: this pearl-encrusted Tory Burch ($350) or this frilled denim Loeffler Randall ($325). The LRs are more practical and versatile. But I do love a statement shoe — how fun would the TBs be? They’d liven up my new poplin white shirt dress in the coolest of ways…what do you think, Magpies?
+This gorgeous gown I featured a few weeks back just went on sale for $286. Perfect for a wedding in Nantucket.
+Another great wedding guest candidate: this pretty gown, recently marked down to $210. I am dying over the color — would look so incredible against tanned shoulders! (P.S. — Here’s what I wore to a recent wedding in D.C.)
+I’ve been buying these storage boxes ($15) on an as-needed basis as mini continues to grow and more of her clothes go into storage (like, every other day! *Sob*).
+Super cute for-any-occasion illustrated notecards ($15). Would also make a great hostess gift!
+I love to keep my bar stocked with pretty Caspari napkins, and I just added these and these to the stack.
+Funfetti, in dress form ($178) — aka a great birthday dress for us summer babies!
+I’ve been into polka dots lately, and the price is right with this top ($53). Also — Banana just released this new collection of “easy care” pieces (all machine-washable!), and this top is included in the series! Woot woot!
+Chic and very on-trend BUT machine-washable dress ($36).
P.S. — More goodies in Le Shop!
So funny that you bring up Emma Straub, as I feel the same way about Modern Lovers (just read it recently) — a pretty fluffy book with the occasional beautiful turn of phrase. I have a copy of The Vacationers that I haven’t read yet — will consider it next time I need a beach read! I like to alternate between nonfiction, literary fiction, and the occasional fluffy novel.
LOVE that black Tibi dress — the price is too good; I may have to buy it for a wedding in Texas next winter! I can’t decide if an all-black dress is too somber for a Southern wedding, though? Thoughts?
Yes yes — especially appreciating Straub for what she is / her promise after reading a TRULY TERRIBLE book, “A Wife of Noble Character.” I have a weird sense of compulsion once I’ve started a book to finish it — I feel genuine guilt if I don’t — but I wish I’d put this one down.
At any rate — that Tibi dress!!! I would tend to agree that a big ol’ Texan wedding deserves a statement dress, but I guess I’d match the outfit to the couple and venue. What are the bride and groom like? Will it be a buttoned-up, black-tie, country club affair? Then the Tibi might have a place? xo
I’m glad you noted the quality of A Wife of Noble Character, because otherwise I’d be tempted! Ha!
I need to get some more intel about the wedding in January — the bride is a cousin of my partner, and I’m not sure whether it will be black tie. Definitely keeping it in mind, but will keep an eye out for some brighter options as well!
I might have to write a whole turbothot on the awfulness of that book !! Let me know what you hear about the wedding — I would be happy to scout some options!!
Ha! Interesting! Maybe it’s the novelty of trying digital when you’re accustomed to paper or vice versa? Maybe I’ll run out of steam on the Kindle at some point…
So funny! I have been reading on my iPad ever since I got one which was like a million years ago! The other day while I was all alone in Target, I happened to be in the book aisle and this woman who was looking for a new book to read told me about a book that she said was probably the best book she’s ever read. So I picked it up and gave it try! It was amazing reading a real book with paper pages! I loved every moment! The book was ok, not the best I’ve ever read, but still it was a page turner and I loved the fact that I got to turn real pages!