This is a new feature I’ve planned for 2018 – a monthly reflection of a handful of books that I read in the past month that I thought would be worth sharing.  If you follow me on Instagram, you already saw a recent photo of a couple of these books in a recent post! it seems like that you and I have a lot in common, and if I read voraciously, I bet a lot of you do too- so why not share some of the books I most enjoyed recently?  If you have read any of these, or have some great recommendations of your own, let me know in the comments!

Currently Re-reading: As It Is in Heaven

As It Is in Heaven is one of the few books I re-read every few years. The prose is sometimes overwritten, and in the author’s quest to grapple with the big issues of life, death, and love it ends up coming across heavy handed in places, but I still love it. I first read it a long time ago when I was still living in Istanbul and English books were expensive to come by, but I fell for the wintery setting, the lush Irish landscape, and the utterly charming cast of characters in the town where most of the book is set. It’s comfort food in book form. It’s not the best thing you will ever read, but it soothes me. And I do think that it’s best enjoyed in the winter – don’t read this book in the summer or it will feel all wrong.

The One I’m Still Recommending to Just About Everyone: Station Eleven

I’m not usually one for post-apocalyptic fiction at all, but a good portion Station Eleven is set in Toronto (where I live!) and focuses on a travelling troupe of actors who perform Shakespearean plays at the various settlements that spring up after a massive virus wipes out 95% of the world’s population in a very short time frame. I binge-read this, it was that hard to put down! Same goes for everyone I’ve lent it to – it’s seriously addictive, fascinating to think about, and you will want everyone else to read it so that you can talk about it with them. I wish I had written it.

Crafty Book I’m Loving: Plum Dandi Knits

This is the combined effort of Alicia Plummer and Melissa Schaschwary, who have combined their knit design efforts in the past. Plum Dandi Knits features 23 patterns for a whole range of gorgeous knits that are what I would consider to be the sort of knits I want in my handmade wardrobe – lots of gorgeous sweaters, mitts, cowls, and accessories that make me want to snuggle up in every single knitted thing in this book. I already have a bunch  of the patterns in my knitting queue!

Cookbook that Actually Makes Me Want to Cook: Smitten Kitchen Every Day

I’m not much of a cook, but I do enjoy recipes that are easy, healthy (most of the time), and don’t involve more than ten ingredients – which means Smitten Kitchen Every Day just might be the only cookbook I need. If someone said I could only bring one cookbook to the (well-stocked with groceries) desert island, this is the one I would pick. I love the recipes and have already committed a few of them to memory, it covers a lot of ground in terms of meals types and has lots of great breakfast, mains, veggie, and dessert dishes.  Everything I’ve made from it has been absolutely delicious, and exactly how I wanted it to turn out. And that doesn’t always happen for me in the kitchen.

I’m Still Mulling Over: Women & Power

Women and Power is a short book (even shorter once you realize how many illustrations/photographs are in it) but it is an excellent exploration of the very timely- yet ancient- practice of how women are silenced and kept from accessing powerful roles in government, business, and work outside the home. It’s the kind of book I recommend everyone read – not only can you easily devour it in a single sitting, but it very clearly illustrates how any time a woman has achieved a certain amount of power, she is frequently vilified for it, or accused of being ‘manly’ or ‘unfeminine’. Touching on ancient Greece, the Trump election, Hilary Clinton; after you read it you will definitely want to talk about it, and likely press it into the hands of other smart, courageous women that you know and love.

Have you read any of these? Do you have a comfort book that you re-read, or a new book that you are dying to tell everyone about? Please share!

*Note: The links are Amazon affiliate links.*