Tiny Bits of Happiness

Quarantining = Time for Book Round Up

In the last two years books have become a large part of my life. I feel better when I am reading and I love how special books can become part of our life. My favorite coffee table books feel like interactive art in our home. I love having tangible items that we love right at our finger tips. The excitement of lending a book to a friend or reaching for a book on a Saturday morning is something I have come to know and love.

books, books, & more books

While all of us are living in this incredibly unique and uncertain time of COVID-19, I thought it would be a great time to share the books that I have come to know and love. I’ll break them down by category & mood because sometimes we need a book for a certain mood we are in. Amiright or amiright?

Some of these books you may have heard before, or some of these books may not strike a cord with you, and that’s okay! Books are one of those things that make us unique and wonderful. You can also peruse all my treasured books in my Amazon Shop. I couldn’t help myself and I end up taking a detour down below to list my favorite magazines, websites, and podcasts to binge during this weird and unknown time. It felt good to include all content that can help make this weird period of quarantine feel a little less lonely and a little more stimulating.

BOOKS

FICTIOn

I find fictional books as being one of the best escapes. I love getting sucked into a good story and feeling like I can’t put a book down. Or the feeling of accomplishment when you’ve read the last page and soaked in the whole story arc. I have found great success with Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Bookclub and it’s extra fun because she is making many of these books into TV series!

MOOD: Feel Good

Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

MOOD: Engaging & Page Turning

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
The Husbands Secret by Liane Moriarty
Ask Again Yes by Beth Keane
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven
The Secrets We Kept Lara Prescott
Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

MOOD: Thought provoking // Historical fiction

Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
All Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Others & Anytime:

Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
Where Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
A Gentlemen in Moscow by Amor Towles

NON-FICTION

Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Bossypants Tina Fey
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo Amy Schumer
Shit my Dad Says by Justin Halpern ( You guys, this book is SO, so funny. It brings me to laughing tears every time I read it)
Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling
Path Made Clear by Oprah Winfrey
Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
Daring Greatly Brene Brown
Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

HOME DESIGN

I have a deep and never ending passion for home design coffee table books. Some I read cover to cover multiple times through, some are a constant resource for referring back to, and some are just beautiful to look at and add a layer of depth to our spaces. I think of them in a few categories— some are going to be for reading once and will be a beautiful piece in our space and some are educational, beautiful and resourceful.

All coffee table books are not created equal and some are quite expensive. Rather than feeling like you have to purchase them all at once, think of them as a collection that you will add to. I’ve broken them down into two categories: ‘Getting Started’ and ‘Next Level.’

Getting Started—

Think of these book as a book that will be educational, beautiful and a resource that you can open up time and time again. I have found them deeply useful and the prices vary.

Pacific Natural by Jenni Kayne
Remodelista
Travel Home by Caitlin Flemming and Julie Goebel
Habitat by Lauren Lies
Homebody by Joanna Gaines
Abode by Serena Mitnik-Miller and Mason St. Peter

Next Level Home Books-

I reach for these books for beauty and a deeper level of information. Gil Schafer (Author of The Great American House and A Place to Call Home) is an amazingly talented architect who has such an eye for design and creating a home that feels so solid, classic, and timeless. Diane Keaton’s books are a pleasure and allow her personality to come out and she expresses her love for design and the whole process of it.

The price of these books range from fair to expensive and it all depends! When all this COVID-19 blows over you can always see if your local library has these and you can cruise them and test run before committing.

Country House Style by Nora Murphy
The House that Pinterest Built by Diane Keaton
House by Diane Keaton
Down to Earth Lauren Liess
The Great American House by Gil Schafer
A Place to Call Home by Gil Schafer
The Nature of Home: Creating Timeless Houses by Jeffrey Dungan
AD 100 A Century of Style by Architectural Digest
Houses with Charm: Simple Southern Style by Susan Sully
Surf Shack by Nina Freudenberger

organization & home science

I’m a big fan of books that help inspire and become a resource that we go to again and again. All of these books deeply inspire me to be more conscious of what I use and how I care for the materials that makeup our home. They have inspired me with simplifying and loving what we have.

The Organized Home by Remodelista
The Home Edit by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin
Simply Clean by Becky Rapinchuk

COOKBOOKS

If you have been following me right now, you know I am obsessed with Half Baked Harvest and all the recipes she creates. I’m so anxious to add her two cookbooks to our pantry. How to Cook Without a Book is for gals like me who want to feel more comfortable in the kitchen with winging recipes and nailing simple basics. I love her breakdown of simple skills and how the book is setup and scaffolded to help fade away support. The 30-minute weeknight chili and the tomato sauce have been two of my favorites. Small Victories is a book I purchased quite a few years ago and some of my most favorite and beloved recipes have come from it. I mean, Ina Garten wrote the forward, the gal is GOOD.

On my list

I haven’t read these yet, but they are on my list! Many of the books come from Reese Witherspoon’s bookclub called, Hello Sunshine. I love finding books that are through someones bookclub because often they have already been vetted and it’s a safe bet they will be something good. I’ve also found great books in Target’s bookclub and Book of the Month.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
The Jetsetters by Amanda Eye Ward
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Conviction by Denise Mina

MAGAZINES

Okay, I’m taking a detour from books because I have recently become a more varied magazine subscriber and it has brought me so much joy. I mean, I’ve subscribed to magazines before, but I was never reading them (ahem, Womens Health) and then I would feel guilty after I would end up recycling a whole pile months later. These are magazines I look forward to and I read front to back multiple times. These aren’t earth shattering or crazy unique, but I’m just a gal giving her honest review that these magazines are so great!

WEBSITES:

Let’s take another detour to websites. There are a few websites I absolutely love and can peruse for hours. I’ve included Half Baked Harvest because I have found myself on her website so-many-times this week and it deserves to be number one. Remodelista has been a life line since I found it many ears ago and it inspires me often. The Everygirl is a great web source for everything to do with life. I have loved, loved it for years and I’m so thankful for the content they create.

Half Baked Harvest: Recipes and food that are delicious and easy to make.
Remodelista Everything home and life focused, I can truly lose hours on end on this website. It’s inspired me . I love their sister websites Gardenista & Organized Home
The Everygirl: Everything for life. Such a wonderful resource for anything and everything.

So grab a cup of coffee and hang out below and let me know your favorites. I’m thinking of you during this crazy time and sending you love and safety. I hope these favorites of mine bring a little comfort or entertainment during this time.