I am in a hell of my own making. (A delightful hell! The best kind of hell!) I have too many books to read.

I have books for work and I have books for fun, books that flirted with me from the library shelves (their come-hither covers obscuring their three-week checkout times!) and books gifted to me. So many would usually be a delight but most have deadlines, all of them greedily clamoring for my attention. I have an inkling of how the Bachelorette must feel.

I also have this sticker, which I bought at The Strand in Manhattan and affixed to my very-favorite coffee mug.

This mug has become my go-to, leading to some slightly uncomfortable work situations when I find myself strategically covering it up or keeping the be-stickered side averted. Fortunately, though, it generally faces toward me. And on more than one occasion I have sat down to read only to find myself reaching for my phone or some other distraction-that’s-not-a-book. My eyes fall on the sticker. The message becomes an imperative issued to me. And I resist the siren song of not-a-book because the sticker reminded me of the task at hand.

Here are some fun things.

1. The New York Public Library released the top ten books checked out during their 125 history.
2. Zora on Medium amplifies the voices of women of color. They published an excellent list of the 100 greatest books written by African American women.
3. My friend Chelsea has a longstanding recipe blog, Blackberry Eating in Late September, full of outstanding food and fun projects. Recently, Chelsea decided to find new inspiration in her approach to blogging by taking a pause from recipes and focusing instead on food itself or more generally. She’s only a few entries in to this endeavor but so far the results are, well, delicious.