The questions readers really want answered

I've been on book tour for the past month (I know, I know, if you had a dollar every time I said that). I get to answers loads of reader questions at every event, and I've noticed there are a few questions I get asked on repeat: • How long does it take you to figure out what books your podcast guests should read next? (Um, not as long as I'd like...) • How do I get my spouse/child/BFF to fall in love with reading? (Slowly, deliberately, and for the love don't be Book Bossy) • If you're an introvert and an HSP, HOW IN THE WORLD are you surviving book tour? I'm going to camp out on that last one, and I promise this is related: right now Daisy (my yellow lab puppy, [here she is]()) is snoring at my feet. Actually snoring, because she is zonked, because she spent the weekend at doggy day care, while the rest of the family was camping. This past week I spent three (four? how do we count these things?) fantastic days in Texas. It was truly a wonderful trip, and I'm grinning now as I think of everyone I got to meet/hug/high five in Austin/Fort Worth/Houston. It was awesome, and also, at the end of that trip I was capital-Z-Zonked. (True confession: at the end of Day ONE, my friend/assistant/travel partner and I discussed the following question: If this is Day 1, why are we so tired? The answer involves a lot of real life and crazy calendars and also the ER—a true story, maybe I'll tell it one day.) I was exhausted, so what did I do? I came home, did a bunch of laundry, and, mere hours later, packed my bags—so my family of six could head out on a camping trip. It wasn't the last thing I wanted to do, but it was close. What I really wanted to do was sleep in my own bed, watch tv (for real), and flop on my own sofa. Camping accommodates exactly zero of those punch list items. But my husband pointed out one thing about camping that enticed me to pack my bags: in the beautiful Kentucky wilderness, cell coverage is terrible. And if you're a writer with an overtired brain, this is worth the laundry, the duffel bags, the campfire coffee (which, let's be honest, is freaking fantastic), and the air mattress. Daisy is currently snoozing off her intense playdate fatigue, but I've found I recover best in a different way. I LOVE AND ADORE meeting readers on tour, but afterwards I need time to recharge. And when I do, I want to read 400 pages of a good novel. In a day. (Seriously, I cannot believe how much I read this weekend.) I want to walk in the woods for hours. (Such a cliché, and yet I suspect Wendell Berry would approve.) I want to stash my phone in the glove compartment and not look at it for hours and hours. (Mission accomplished.) It turns out a weekend in a forested wilderness—where I can text with a wing and a prayer, but can't load a web page to save my life—is the perfect place for the recharging. Last weekend it was 94 degrees; last night I nearly froze in my sleeping bag. I am acutely aware that I'm straddling two seasons, even as I type. And as I do, I'm thinking about the balance of it all. The need to connect, the need to retreat. The need to create, the need for quiet. The need for tv, the need for good books. (Okay, okay, I'm stretching on that last one, but tell me you get the idea?) Friends, I know I'm not the only one who feels she's on the fence right now, between two (hopefully) good yet very different things. Please know I'm holding space for you, and for me, as we attempt to bridge from one to the other, and (perhaps) back again. Make meal planning easy : Sometimes preserving my sanity looks super-practical, and it doesn't get more practical than mealtime: I have used and loved [Prep Dish](=) for years now and I’m excited to share a special deal to help your whole family eat great this school year. Every month, Prep Dish founder Allison sends members weekly meal plans (Your choice: gluten-free or paleo; we do paleo.) with a shopping list (I love the way Allison lays out these lists!) and directions for how to spend a few hours prepping the week’s meals. Then you roll into the week with a fridge full of easy-to-finish dinners you can have on the table in 30 minutes or less. Through Monday, October 1, Allison is offering MMD readers 50% off a premium membership! This is a huge savings that’s going to save you a ton of time in the grocery store and in the kitchen. Fall is a great time to [get started with PrepDish](=). The start of a new school year and fall sports (plus book tour) push me off routine and leave me scrambling and frustrated when it’s time to start dinner. But Allison’s easy-to-follow plans for healthy, tasty meals bring your dinners the routine they need to get you through whatever this busy season holds. On the blog: - I love audiobooks, but an audiobook read by an author is a special treat. Here are [some of my favorites](). - I squeezed in a trip to the Biltmore while on book tour and of course wanted to tell you all about [George Vanderbilt's very simple reading journals](. - Banned Books Week just happened, and these [20 banned books]( are worth a spot on your nightstand any week of the year. - On the podcast I got to talk with [language arts teacher Julie Mushkin](. Surprise! She wasn't previouslya huge reader, but you'll never guess which books are turning that around for her. As a middle school teacher, Julie also shared her thoughts on [infiltrating the (not so) secret world of teens](=), which we published in response to reader requests. There have been pumpkins everywhere, but the weather and calendar are finally catching up. Now all I need are some freshly sharpened pencils and it will truly feel like fall. Happy reading! Anne P.S. If you have been reading Modern Mrs. Darcy or listening to [What Should I Read Next?]( and thinking to yourself "These are my people!" then you owe it to yourself to try the [Modern Mrs. Darcy book club](). This month we're reading Kelly Corrigan's [Tell Me More]() and we would love for you to [join us](). (I loved her first book The Middle Place, and don't its themes fit right in with this newsletter?) Kelly will join us for our book discussion on October 23 and I CAN'T WAIT! Do you have a friend who would enjoy getting these emails? Please forward this email on to them. [Modern Mrs Darcy](=) | 6000 Brownsboro Park Blvd Ste H, Louisville, Kentucky 40207 [Opt Out of MMD Newsletters Only]( | [Unsubscribe from all MMD emails](