This is going to start out a little English-major nerdy. I’m not apologizing; I’m just letting you know. 

1. Why Readers, Scientifically, Are the Best People to Fall in Love With. I read a lot (just saying). 

“It’s no surprise that readers are better people. Having experienced someone else’s life through abstract eyes, they’ve learned what it’s like to leave their bodies and see the world through other frames of reference.”

2. Word Crimes. [I know you've probably seen this by now, but I had to include it because three people personally messaged me to make sure I saw it. I did. And I loved it.] 

3. What I Learned About Movies from a Well-Read Dog. This is an article about Wishbone, but more than that, it’s an article about the importance of story and digesting stories in the context of relationships. 

4. Why Write? Penmanship for the 21st Century. I found this interesting on a few levels. This is why we need to teach our kids handwriting and why I often feel like I think better when actually writing. 

5. God Isn’t Good Only When You Say So. This is a topic that is dear to me and I’ve written on a few times, but I love the way Tyler Huckabee puts it, as well. 

BONUS: 

This woman is incredible. I don’t even know how some of this stuff is humanly possible (I’ve never watched this show) and then this tiny person completes it with ease! My jaw dropped a few times.  

1. And one day, I’d like another sky by Hannah Brencher. This is a post about singleness. And it’s kind of long. She doesn’t necessarily say anything new that other bloggers haven’t said, but she just says it well. I liked this line:

Humans are just humans, they aren’t lifeboats. They aren’t bandaids. They aren’t completion. 

2. These Live Room sessions by NEEDTOBREATHE are their usual greatness. Here’s this week’s edition: 

3. The Story of You. This is just beautiful. Read it out loud. 

4. Selfies Anonymous.

5. 22 Important Life Skills You Learned as a Vacation Bible School Kid. They’re all completely accurate, but #13 made me laugh out loud. 

1. I meant to post this last week, but I had 5 links anyway, so it doesn’t matter. Here’s a story about The 23-Year-Old Wordsmith Behind the Hip, New Voice of the Times Crossword Puzzle I found interesting. 

2. An 8-Year-Old Writes to His Mom from Summer Camp and it is cringe-worthy and hilarious. Kids. [HT: Barnabas Piper]

3. I really like The Lone Bellow. Therefore, I really like this stripped-down cover by them. [Thanks, Laura!] 

4. Stop Saving Your Stickers. I was this kid to the core, so I love what Brooke says about not saving stuff for “special occasions.”

5. Reflecting on 20 Years of The Giver. The Giver is probably in my top 20 or so favorite books. When I read it in highschool, I was the only one in my class who liked it (because everyone else thought it ended differently than I did), but I liked that I was the only one. It seemed to mean something about Lowry as a writer, and me as a reader. I can’t wait to see the movie and I enjoyed reading Lois Lowry’s thoughts on the whole thing. 

A book is such an individual and private thing. The reader brings his or her own history and beliefs and concerns, and reads in solitude, creating each scene from his own imagination as he does.

Bonus: In case you haven’t seen it yet, OK Go’s new video is mind-boggling.

1. Oxford Comma proponents rate their grammar skills higher than those who prefer to omit it. 

2. You’ll want to watch this whole video.

3. iPhone Photography Awards. These are stunning. 

4. I love this song. Love. 

5. Coming Out as a Christian. I found this article challenging. He calls Christians to live transparently, as Christians. 

Bonus: The Nicknames of all 32 World Cup 2014 Teams. [Spoiler: Some of them could use more creativity.]

1. Napoleon Dynamite came out ten years ago. I know. We’re old, y’all. The cast got back together to unveil a statue on the Fox Studios lot. I also liked this interview with the director and the star. 

2. You may have seen this by now, but it’s so great. This guy made use of his time stuck in an airport overnight alone. He rigged up his iPhone on his suitcase and sent it down escalators and moving sidewalks to get the right shots. It’s a longer video, but it really holds up through to the end. 

All by myself from Richard Dunn on Vimeo.

3. Little Thing. I just really loved this by Hannah Brencher this week. 

4. Meet the guy who does all the “Hey”s in your favorite indie songs. 

5. One of my new favorite Twitter accounts is Saved You A Click. He reads the story then posts the answer to the linkbait in the headlines. It’s saved me time and provided entertainment. Thanks to Laura for finding and sharing! 

And I’m posting this article just in case I decide not to write my dissertation on why reading YA isn’t shameful. Anne made a couple of the same points I was going to/will make, so I may not need to write anything now. 

1. My Husband’s Other Wife. This is a beautiful article about love after loss. 

2. This dance routine is crazy!

3. Nic Cage from Left Behind Makes Every Movie Poster Better. I especially like him in Home Alone. 

4. I love these lip-dubs. Keep ‘em coming, YouTube. (Thanks, Lydia, for sending this to me)

5. This article on Slate made me say, “Imma break out my thesis,” threateningly last night. I don’t want to write a whole blog post on this right here (I may have to write one next week. I have a lot to say about this. [I don't engage in Internet debate normally (except like Coke vs. Soda), but I for real wrote my thesis on YAL and I could go on the defense about it for some time.]), but I do not agree with this article. Anyway, John Green (the author who sort of provoked the article) wrote an article defending adults reading his book. 

Sorry this ended so angsty. Please watch this music video for one of my current favorite songs. [Have I posted this before? I can't remember.]