What are you up to this week? We are visiting family in England and will be taking a little break from posting until July 15th. We will still be updating Big Salad and Instagram, if you’d like to check in there. Hope you have a good one, and here are a few links from around the web…

Here’s what we’re eyeing in Banana Republic’s huge semi-annual sale: this sweater feels right out of the Talented Mr. Ripley, and how sexy is this strappy top for date nights?

This Orcas Island house is cool, but the guest room is for… 12 people? (NYTimes gift link)

Ooh, a two-ingredient magic shell.

What my adult autism diagnosis felt like: “At an event with passed hors d’oeuvres, if I observed a friend ask another guest only two questions in conversation, I would explicitly do the same, whether or not personal curiosity or genuine rapport called for a third. If another friend and I took a bathroom break at the same time (horror) and they gave their hands a desultory little shake upon washing, I’d mimic them. The importance of remaining in lockstep outweighed how badly I loathed the sensation of wet hands.” (New York Mag)

What’s your secret to getting a good night’s rest? Mine is these soft sheets.

Making conversation on an awkward first date, hahaha.

This homesteading reality show sounds surprisingly compelling.

Did it just get hungry in here?

The New Yorker published an excerpt from Sally Rooney’s upcoming novel.

Thank you for all the messages from readers who are loving My Lady Jane! I send them straight to Gemma. Xoxo

Plus, two reader comments:

Says Jenny on what are your hopes for this summer: “My aunt refers to dogs smelling the neighborhood as ‘reading the news.’ Since hearing that, I make sure to take the morning walk extra slowly.”

Says Ellen on what are your hopes for this summer: “Last weekend I got home from the community pool and realized with delight that what I’d eaten that day had been watermelon, chips, and ice cream. Peak summer! This is my first summer single after a nine-year relationship where my world had became very small. So, I’m soaking up simple pleasures! Muggy AF? I’ll wear the tiniest, flowiest dress! Still light out at 9 p.m.? Time for a stroll! An afternoon with no plans? Grabbing my kindle and a towel and spending the day at the pool.”

(Photo by Vradiy Art/Stocksy.)

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