What I've been up to lately: places, people, books, podcasts, music, links & more for your weekend downtime.

(1) Netflix series we binge-watched this week

Fun, funny, fascinating, beautiful, occasionally tear-jerking - food, travel, human connections, and a really funny TV writer/producer (Everyone Loves Raymond) turned travel guide. Two thumbs up!

(2) short and sweet stories from my blog feed this week

StoryCorps

Dr. Weaver remembers integrating his high school football team in Knoxville, Tennessee - It's hard to believe, and so good for us to hear. | via StoryCorps

Two very curious brothers ask their Dad some outlandish questions - I also love this little audio peek into a relationship between a good Dad and his hilarious sons.

(3) books I'm reading

Make A List: How A Simple Practice Can Change Our Lives and Open Our Hearts by Marilyn McEntyre - This great little book releases February 27, 2018. I was able to read a preview copy for the next Englewood Review of Books issue

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi - My Mom gave me this book ages ago, and I'm so glad to finally be reading it!

Chicago by Brian Doyle - This is the next title - for the season of Epiphanytide - we've chosen for our reading group at church (Apostles Reads).

(4) vintage winter nature books on my wish list

(5) links in honor of MLK Day

Martin Luther King, Jr - Reading List - There have been hundreds of books about MLK published in recent decades. Here are some of the best of them. | via Englewood Review of Books

Martin Luther King, Jr. – His Prophetic Faith in 15 Quotes - Mainstream American culture tends to have a narrow view of King’s work, limited primarily to his leadership in the Civil Rights movement. However, King’s vision was rooted in the desire for a beloved community in which not only were all people equal but in which all violence, poverty, and injustice were abolished — a vision that flowed from King’s deep faith in the life and teachings of Jesus. | via Englewood Review of Books

Frederick Douglas, American - An excerpt adapted from a speech delivered at Hillsdale College on May 12, 2017, at the dedication of a statue of Frederick Douglass on the College’s Liberty Walk. | via Imprimis

MLK speeches and songs - An excellent collection of links to speeches, music, poems and reflections in honor of Dr. King. | via Global Christian Worship

Embracing the Whole Martin Luther King Jr by Bill Wiser - "As we remember his Dream, let's not fail the man or his message. Only by realizing the gravity of our position and making those hard, but liberating choices can we truly honor The Dream and march beyond it as Martin Luther King did." | via Plough