Our subscriber base has grown so much since we first started eight years ago, that most of you have missed all our earliest recommendations. The best of these are still valid and useful, so we’re trying out something new — Retro Recomendo. Once every 6 weeks, we’ll send out a throwback issue of evergreen recommendations focused on one theme from the past 8 years.

Stovetop espresso

I drink coffee every day, and I use the Bialetti 6-Cup Espresso Coffee Maker ($40) more often than any of my other coffee making machines (I have a few). I fill the lower chamber with water, add ground coffee in the funnel, screw on the top, and put it on the stovetop. In about three minutes I pour a cup of strong, delicious coffee. — MF

Sturdiest big umbrella

We’ve had one of the rainiest winters in memory. I normally carry a compact fold-up umbrella in my bag, but when I head out from my house in the rain, I grab the Blunt near the door. This full-length umbrella is built like a tank. It is super sturdy, larger than a solo umbrella but not as big asa golf umbrella. There are no pointy corners (they are blunt, hey), and high winds won’t faze it a bit despite its large-sized canopy. It would take an actual hurricane to invert it. You’ll lose it before it wears out. It’s expensive, but worth it. — KK

Short meditations on Love

I bought How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh, read it in one sitting, and often go back to it for short, helpful reminders on how to be more loving. Two of my favorite passages are: “You are part of the universe; you are made of stars. When you look at your loved one, you see that he is also made of stars and carries eternity inside. Looking in this way, we naturally feel reverence,” and “There’s a tradition in Asia of treating your partner with the respect you would accord a guest. This is true even if you have been with your loved one for a long time.” I recomend this or any other of small books in the mindfulness essentials series as gifts. — CD

The value of goofing off

The premise of this book, Time Off, is that you can’t maintain a great work ethic without having a great “rest ethic.” You have to take time off, vacation, go on sabbatical, pause, rest, sleep, slack, play, and goof off in order to be and do your best. I’ve long been a champion of slack time and mandatory time off, and I am delighted all the arguments and evidence for this take are presented in this hefty book.It includes examples of very productive people, and the latest scientific evidence. Time off is not only essential to a good life, it is something you can get better at. — KK

Blessing Cards

Blessing Cards a tool for setting positive intentions for your day. There are 210 two-inch cards, each with a different word. All the words serve as catalysts to help guide or create meaning for your day. Some of the words I’ve pulled recently are: Yielding, Synchronicity, Excellence, Delight, Creativity, Openness, Unknown and Trust. I like to draw two at a time which adds another dimension of meaning. These tiny cards inspire acts of gratitude, courage, closeness and help to break me out of rigid thinking, and are also great for gifting away as “blessings” to friends. — CD

Super comfortable slippers I can wear outside

These $15 memory foam slippers from RockDove have an open back that makes them easy to slip on and kick-off, and the memory foam insoles are incredibly comfortable. Importantly they have a thick waterproof sole, so I can wear them in the backyard. — MF

Recomendo is an authentic, hand-crafted, human-written weekly newsletter that is free, but not cheap. Consider supporting our work with a paid option, now at the low price of $45 per year. Paid subs enable us to keep making it free for others. Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel and podcast, and other newsletters, including Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Just 1 Question, Books That Belong On Paper and Book Freak.

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Watch the Best Cruise Ship Tour Videos: My name is Nick Gray. I like cruises, but not for the reasons you might think. I don’t drink, I don’t gamble, and I read a book a day. See why on my personal blog here.

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